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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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Presented    by       OT-c7\X~\0<2^  O  C^  S/CA 

3QtL 


Division 
Section  ■■ 


W:'- 


^  / 


SERMONS 


ii 


THE  HUMAN   RACE" 


AND 


OTHER   SERMONS 


PREACHED  AT 


BY  THE  LATE 


ATE     • 

REV.  FREDERICK  W.  ROBERTSON,  M.A. 

INCUMBENT  OF  TRINITY  CHAPEL,  BRIGHTON 


NEW  YORK 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN   SQUARE 

1881 


C  O  JM  TENTS. 


SERMON   I. 

Cheltenham,  April  26, 1846. 

THE    HUMAN  KACE   TYPIFIED    BY 
THE  MAN  OF  SOKKOWS. 

IsA.  liii.  3.— "A  man  of  sorrows,  and  ac- 
quainted with  grief:  and  we  hid  as  it 
were  our  faces  from  him  " Page  9 


SERMON  II. 

Cheltenham,  May,  1846. 

DEGREES  IN  GLORY. 

Matt.  55.  23. —  "And  Jesus  saith  unto 
them.  Y'e  shall  drink  indeed  of  my  cup, 
and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that 
I  am  baptized  with:  but  to  sit  on  my 
right  hand,  and  ou  my  left,  is  not  mine 
to  give,  but  it  shall  be  given  to  them  for 
whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father  " .  23 


SERMON  III. 

Oxford,  June  18, 1847. 

THE  PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUB- 
LICAN. 

Luke  5viii.  9 "And  he  spake  this  para- 
ble uuto  certain  which  trusted  in  them- 
selves that  they  were  righteous,  and  de- 
spised others" 34 


SERMON  IV. 

Oxford,  June  20,  1847. 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE  AND  DES- 
TINY HEREAFTER. 

1  John  iii.  2,  .8 — "Beloved,  now  are  we 
the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  ap- 
pear what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know 
that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
like  him ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is. 
And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in 
him  puritieih  himself,  even   as  he  is 

*   pure  " 39 


SERMON  V. 

Oxford,  June  27,  1847. 

NATIONAL  EDUCATION.— CHARAC- 
TER OF  MOSES. 

Acts  vii.  20-22.— "In  which  time  Moses 
was  born,  and  was  exceeding  fair,  and 
nourished  up  in  his  father's  house  three 
months:  and  when  he  was  cast  out, 
Pharaoh's  daughter  took  him  up,  and 
nourished  him  for  her  own  son.  And 
Moses  was  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of 
the  Egyptians,  and  was  mighty  in  words 
and  in  deeds" .' Page  44 


SERMON  VI. 
Oxford,  July  11,1847. 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  HEAVEN. 

LtTKE  5vii.  20,  21.—"  And  when  he  was  de- 
manded of  the  Pharisees,  when  the 
kingdom  of  God  should  come,  he  an- 
swered them  and  said,  The  kingdom 
of  God  Cometh  not  with  observation : 
Neither  shall  they  say,  Lo  here  !  or,  Lo 
there  !  for,  behold,  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  within  you  " 52 


SERMON  VII. 

Oxford,  July  15, 1847. 

THE  SECRET  GROWTH  OF  THE 
SEED. 

Mark  iv.  26.— "And  he  said.  So  is  the 
kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast 
seed  into  the  ground  " 58 


SERMON  VIII. 

Brighton,  September  19, 1847, 

THE  LAW  OUR  SCHOOLMASTER. 

Gal.  iii.  24,  25.—"  Wherefore  the  law  was 
our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto 
Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by 
faith.  But  after  that  faith  is  come,  we 
are  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster"  62 


VI 


Contents. 


SEKMON  IX. 

Brighton,  September  25,  1S47. 

ELIJAH  ON  MOUNT  CARMEL. 

1  Kings  xviii.  21. — "  And  Elijah  came  nnto 
all  the  people,  and  said,  How  long  halt 
ye  between  two  opinions  ?  If  the  Lord 
be  God,  follow  him  ;  but  if  Baal,  then 
follow  him.  And  the  people  answered 
him  not  a  word" Page  G9 

SERMON  X. 

Brighton,  October  3, 1847. 

GROWTH  INTO  CHRIST  IN  LOVE 
AND  TRUTH. 

Epii.  iv.  15. — "But  speaking  the  truth  iu 
love,  may  grow  np  into  him  in  all  things, 
which  is  the  head,  even  Christ " 74 

SERMON  XI. 

Brighton,  October  10, 1847. 

(1.)  SPIRITUAL  WORSHIP. 

John  iv.  21-24.— "Jesus  saith  unto  her. 
Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh, 
when  ye  shall  neither  iu  this  mountain, 
nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  worship  the  Fa- 
ther. Ye  worship  ye  know  not  what: 
we  know  what  we  worship:  for  salva- 
tion is  of  the  Jews.  But  the  hour  com- 
eth, and  now  is,  when  the  true  worship- 
pers shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth :  for  the  Father  seeketh 
such  to  worship  him.  God  is  a  Spirit: 
and  they  that  worship  him  must  wor- 
ship him  iu  spirit  and  in  truth  " 79 


SERMON  XII. 

Brighton,  March  5, 1848. 

TEARS  OF  JESUS. 
John  xi.  35. — "  Jesus  wept ". . . . 


84 


SERMON  XIII. 

Brighton,  April  7, 1850. 

(2.)  SPIRITUAL  WORSHIP. 

JouN  iv.  23,  24.— "But  the  hour  cometh, 
and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers 
shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
iu  truth :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to 
worship  him.  God  is  a  Spirit :  and  they 
that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in 
spirit  and  iu  truth  " 89 

SERMON  XIV. 

Brighton,  November  10, 1850. 

THE  CONVICTION  OF  SIN  IN  THE 
MIND  OF  PETER. 

Luke  v.  8.—"  Wheu  Simon  Peter  saw  it. 


he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  saying, 
Depart  from  me  ;  for  I  am  a  sinful  man, 
O  Lord  " Page  90 


SERMON  XV. 
Brighton,  November  24, 1850. 

GUILT  OF  JUDGING.— CONTEMPTU- 

OUSNESS. 

Rom.  xiv.  10. — "But  why  dost  thou  judge 
thy  brother?  or  why  dost  thou  set  at 
nought  thy  brother?  for  we  shall  all 
stand  before  the  judgment -seat  of 
Christ" 102 

SERMON  XVI. 

Brighton,  December  15,  1850. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  MINISTRY. 

Matt.  si.  9, 10. — "But  what  went  ye  out 
for  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  Yea,  I  say  unto 
you,  and  more  than  a  prophet.  For  this 
is  he  of  whom  it  is  written.  Behold,  I 
send  my  messenger  before  thy  face, 
which  shall  prepare  thy  way  before 
thee" 108 

SERMON  XVII. 

Brighton,  December  22, 1850. 

THE  THREE  CROSSES  ON  CALVARY. 

LuKK  xxiii.  33. —  "And  when  they  were 
come  to  the  place  which  is  called  Cal- 
vary, there  they  crucified  him,  and  the 
malefactors  ;  one  on  the  right  hand,  and 
the  other  on  the  left " 115 

SERMON  XVIII. 

Brighton,  January  26, 1851. 

THE  STATE  OF  NATURE  AND  THE 
STATE  OF  GRACE. 

Epii.  ii.  3-5. — "Among  whom  also  we  all 
had  our  conversation  in  times  past  iu 
the  lusts  of  our  tiesh,  fulfilling  the  de- 
sires of  the  flesh  and  of  the  inind  ;  and 
were  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath, 
even  as  others.  But  God,  who  is  rich 
in  mercy,  for  his  great  love  Avherewith 
he  loved  us,  even  when  we  were  dead 
in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  together  with 
Christ  (by  grace  ye  are  saved)" 123 

SERMON  XIX. 

Brighton,  February  23, 1851. 

THE  CHURCH  OP  EPHESUS. 

Rev.  ii.  1-4. —  "Unto  the  angel  of  the 
church  of  Ephesus  write:  These  things 
saith  he  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars 
in  his  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the 
midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks ; 
I  know  thy  works,  aud  thy  labor,  aud 


Contents. 


vu 


thy  patience,  and  how  thou  canst  not 
bear  thera  which  are  evil ;  and  thou  \\\\^X. 
tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles, 
and  are  not ;  and  hast  found  them  liars : 
and  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and 
for  my  name's  sake  hast  labored,  and 
hast  not  fainted.  Nevertheless,  I  have 
somewhat  ajrainst  thee,  becau-^e  tliou 
hast  left  thy  tirst  love  " Page  130 


SERMON  XX. 
Brighton,  March  9,  ISol. 

(1.)  WISDOM  JUSTIFIED  OF  HEK 
CHILDREN. 

Matt,  xi.  19.—"  But  wisdom  is  justified  of 
her  children  " 137 


SERMON  XXI. 

Brighton,  March  16,1851. 

(2.)  WISDOM  JUSTIFIED  OF  HER 
CHILDREN. 

Luke  v.  33.— "And  they  said  unto  him, 
Why  do  the  disciples  of  John  fast  often, 
and  make  prayers,  and  likewise  the  dis- 
ciples of  the  Pharisees;  but  thine  eat 
and  drink  ?" 143 


SERMON  XXII. 

Brighton,  March  23, 1851. 

THE  WISDOM  OF  CHRIST  AND  THE 
WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON. 

LtTKE  xi.  31.— "The  queen  of  the  south 
shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  the 
men  of  this  generation,  and  condemn 
them :  for  she  came  from  the  utmost 
parts  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon  ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than 
SolomoQ  is  here  " 149 


SERMON  XXIII. 

Brighton,  August  3,  1851. 

THE  LAW  OF  SELF-SACRIFICE  EX- 
EMPLIFIED IN  THE  DEATH  OF 
CHRIST. 

John  xii.  2.3-28.—"  Jesus  answered  them, 
saying.  The  hour  is  come,  that  the  Sou 
of  man  should  be  glorilied.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a  corn 
of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone :  but  if  it  die,  it  bring- 
eth  forth  much  fruit.  He  that  loveth 
his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  he  that  hat- 
eth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep 
it  unto  life  eternal.  If  any  man  serve 
me,  let  him  follow  me  ;  and  where  I  am, 
there  shall  also  my  .'^ervant  be:  if  any 
man  serve  me,  him  will  my  Father 
honor.    Now  is  my  soul  troubled  ;  and 


what  shall  I  say?  Father,  save  me 
from  this  hour:  but  for  this  cause  came 
I  unto  this  hour.  Father,  glorify  thy 
name  " Page  1 56 


SERMON   XXIV. 

Brighton,  November  2,  1851. 

PURE  RELIGION. 

Jamf.8  i.  27.—"  Pure  religion  and  undcfiled 
before  God  and  the  Father  is  this,  To 
visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  iui  their 
affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world  " 161 


SERMON  XXV. 

Brighton,  November  30,  1851. 

(1.)    THE   PROGRESS   OF   REVELA- 
TION. 

1  Petke  i.  10-13 — "Of  which  salvation 
the  prophets  have  inquired  and  searched 
diligently,  who  prophesied  of  the  grace 
that  should  come  unto  you:  searching 
what,  or  what  manner  of  time  the  Spirit 
of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify, 
when  it  testitied  beforehand  the  suffer- 
ings of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should 
follow.  Unto  whom  it  was  revealed, 
that  not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  us 
they  did  minister  the  things,  which  are 
now  reported  unto  you  by  them  that 
liave  preached  the  Gospel  unto  you  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven  ; 
which  things  the  angels  desire  to  look 
into.  Wherefore  gird  up  the  loins  of 
your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the 
end  for  the  grace  that  is  to  be  brought 
unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ " 109 


SERMON  XXVI. 

Brighton,  December  7, 1851. 

(2.)    THE    PROGRESS    OF   REVELA- 
TION, 

Gal.  iii.  24.— "  Wherefore  the  law  was  our 
schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ, 
that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith  ".  176 


SERMON  XXVII. 
Brighton,  December  24, 1848,  and  December  14, 1851. 

(1.)  CHARACTER  AND  MISSION  OF 
THE  BAPTIST. 

John  i.  22, 23 "  Then  said  they  unto  him, 

Who  art  thou?  that  we  may  give  an  an- 
swer to  them  that  seiit  us.  What  sayest 
thou  of  thyself  ?  He  said,  I  am  the  voice 
of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make 
straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  said 
the  prophet  Esaias  " 1S6 


VIU 


Contents, 


SERMON  XXVIII. 

Brighton,  December  21, 1851. 

(2.)  CHARACTER  AND  MISSION  OF 
THE  BAPTIST. 

Luke  iii.  3,  4.—"  And  he  came  into  all  the 
country  about  Jordan,  preaching  the 
baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission 
of  sins:  as  it  is  written  in  the  boolc  of 
the  words  of  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying, 
The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness, Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
make  his  paths  straight " Page  197 


SERMON   XXIX. 

Brighton,  March  ?8,  1852, 

CHRISTIAN  FORGIVENESS. 

[att.  xviii.  32,  33.— "Then  his  lord,  after 
that  he  had  called  him,  said  unto  him, 
O  thou  wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee 
all  that  debt,  because  thou  desiredst 
me:  shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had 
compassion  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even 
as  1  had  pity  ou  thee?" 204 


SERMON  XXX. 

Brighton,  Christmas-day,  1852. 

THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 

John  i.  9.  —  "That  was  the  true  Light, 
wliich  lighteth  every  man  that  comet h 
into  the  world  " 210 


SERMON  XXXI. 

Brighton  (date  unknown). 

RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Matt.  XV.  3-9.  —  "But  he  answered  and 
said  unto  them.  Why  do  ye  also  trans- 
gress the  commandment  of  God  by  your 
tradition  ?  For  God  commanded,  say- 
ing. Honor  thy  father  and  mother:  and, 
He  that  curseth  father  or  mother,  let  him 
die  the  death.  But  ye  say.  Whosoever 
shall  say  to  his  father  or  his  mother.  It 
is  a  gift,  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest 
be  profited  by  me,  and  honor  not  his 
father  or  his  mother,  he  shall  be  fiee. 
Thus  have  ye  made  the  commandment 
of  God  of  none  effect  by  your  tradition. 
Ye  hypocrites,  well  did  Esaias  prophe  y 
of  you,  saying,  This  people  draweth  ni-ii 
unto  me  with  their  mouth,  and  honoreih 
me  with  their  lips ;  but  their  heart  is 
far  from  me.  But  in  vain  they  do  wor- 
ship me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men  " Page  217 

SERMON  XXXII. 

Brighton  (date  unknown). 

THE  PEACE  OF  GOD. 

IsA.lvii.19,20. — "Peace,peace,to  him  that 
is  far  oft",  and  to  him  that  is  near,  saith 
the  Lord;  and  I  will  heal  him.  But  the 
wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  when 
it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire 
and  diit.  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my 
God,  to  the  wicked  " 223 


SERMONS. 


jTiftlj  5cx\t3. 


TYPIFIED  BY  THE  MAN  OF  SORROWS,  THE  HUMAN 

RACE. 

(from  autograph  MS.) 

Preached  for  the  Hospital.     Christ  Church,  Cheltenham,  April  2G,  1846. 

"A  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief:  and  we  liid  as  it  were 
our  foces  from  him." — Isaiah  liii.  3. 

There  are  two  aspects  in  wLicli  we  may  consider  the  Re- 
deemer of  the  world.  We  may  think  of  Him  as  the  Christ,  or 
we  may  think  of  Him  as  the  Son  of  Man.  AVhen  we  think  of 
Him  as  the  Christ,  He  stands  before  us  as  God  claiming  our  ado- 
ration. When  we  think  of  Him  in  that  character  in  which  He 
so  loved  to  describe  Himself,  as  the  Son  of  Man,  He  stands  be- 
fore us  as  a  type  or  specimen  of  the  whole  human  race. 

There  is  something*  exceedingly  emphatic  in  that  expression, 
Son  of  Man ;  it  is  a  most  wide  and  extensive  appellation.  Our 
Master  is  not  called  the  Son  of  Mary ;  but,  as  if  the  blood  of  the 
whole  human  race  were  in  His  veins,  He  calls  Himself  the  Son  of 
Man.  There  is  a  universality  in  the  chai'acter  of  Christ  which 
you  find  in  the  character  of  no  other  man.  If  you  take,  for 
example,  the  life  of  Abraham,  you  have  a  man  with  all  the  pe- 
culiarities of  that  particular  age  belonging  to  him.  You  have  a 
man  moulded  into  a  particular  character  with  particular  habits, 
particular  prejudices.  Abraham  is  by  no  means  one  to  whom  the 
whole  human  race  can  lay  claim,  and  say  he  is  our  countryman. 

1* 


10  TJie  Human  Race 

He  was  the  son  of  Terali,  the  offspriiiiy  of  a  Syrian  stock,  the 
child  of  that  generation.  Abraham  is  full  of  rigid  individual  pe- 
culiarities. You  have  a  distinct  portrait  that  represents  that  one 
man,  and  no  man  else.  Take,  again,  the  character  of  David.  It 
is  a  life  of  eminent  saintliness,  but  you  cannot  mistake  the  Jew. 
There  is  Jewish  exclusiveness,  a  Jewish  way  of  looking  at  the 
world,  Jewish  faults,  Jewish  narrowness.  lie  is  not  the  son  of 
man,  but  the  child  of  Israel.  Take,  once  more,  the  character  of 
Paul,  a  man,  if  ever  there  was  one,  emancipated  from  exclusive 
feelings ;  generous,  universal,  catholic  in  his  character.  And  yet 
it  is  not  possible  to  take  the  portrait  of  the  Apostle  Paul  and 
mistake  for  one  moment  to  what  age  and  nation  he  belonged. 
You  could  not  for  an  instant  say  the  man  was  born  a  Grecian ; 
you  could  not  take  his  character  and  say  it  is  a  character  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  You  have  unmistakably  the  disciple  of 
Gamaliel,  the  man  of  peculiar  education,  the  man  of  peculiar  tem- 
perament ;  not  the  son  of  man,  but  the  son  of  a  certain  father  and 
a  certain  mother,  the  disciple  of  a  certain  school,  with  the  peculi- 
arities and  the  phraseology  of  that  school.  But  when  you  take 
the  character  of  Christ,  all  this  is  gone.  Translate  the  words  of 
Christ  into  what  country's  language  you  will,  He  might  have  been 
the  offspring  of  that  country.  Date  them  by  what  century  of  the 
world  you  will,  they  belong  to  that  century  as  much  as  to  any 
other.  There  is  nothing  of  nationality  about  Christ.  There  is 
nothing  of  that  personal  peculiarity  which  we  call  idiosyncrasy. 
There  is  nothing  peculiar  to  any  particular  age  of  the  world.  He 
was  not  the  Asiatic.  He  was  not  the  European.  He  was  not  the 
Jew.  He  was  not  the  type  of  that  century,  stamped  with  its 
peculiarities.  He  was  not  the  mechanic.  He  was  not  the  aristo- 
crat. But  He  was  the  man.  He  was  the  child  of  every  age  and 
every  nation.  His  was  a  life  world-wide.  His  was  a  heart  pulsat- 
ing with  the  blood  of  the  human  race.  He  reckoned  for  His 
ancestry  the  collective  myriads  of  mankind.  Emphatically,  He 
was  the  Son  of  Man. 

The  task  which  the  master  painters  of  the  Middle  Ages  for 
centuries  proposed  to  themselves  as  the  highest  aim  of  art  was 
to  realize  on  canvas  the  conception  of  the  Anointed  One  of  God. 
It  was  their  grand  work  to  paint  a  Christ.  And  what  they  made 
their  business  was  not  to  turn  off  a  portrait,  but  to  embody  the 
highest  idea  which  genius  could  conceive  of  glorious  humanity. 


Typified  by  the  Man  of  Sorrows.  1 1 

If  the  Italian  painter  or  if  the  Spanish  painter  produced  a  form 
which  bore  the  peculiar  national  lineaments  worn  by  the  humanity 
in  his  own  climate,  so  far  he  had  failed.  He  might  have  idealized 
the  grandeur  of  the  Italian  form  or  the  grandeur  of  the  Spanish 
form,  but  he  had  not  given  to  men's  eyes  that  grandeur  of  the 
human  species  which  belonged  to  a  conception  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
He  had  got  a  portrait  to  which  a  nobly  formed  individual  of  one 
nation  might  have  sat,  but  an  individual  of  no  other.  He  had 
got  the  perfection  of  the  Italian  or  of  the  Spanish  type,  but  not 
the  perfection  of  manhood.  Now,  that  which  the  painter  aimed 
at  in  the  outward  form,  that  Christ  was  in  inward  character.  He 
was  the  type  of  the  whole  human  race.  He  was  the  essence,  the 
sublimation,  of  humanity.  It  was  a  noble  endeavor  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  to  be  all  things  to  all  men.  To  the  Gentile  he  became  as  a 
Gentile,  that  he  might  gain  the  Gentiles ;  to  the  Jew  as  a  Jew. 
But  in  all  this  he  was  acting  a  single  part  for  a  time.  He  made 
it  his  business  while  the  Jew  was  with  him  to  try  to  realize  the 
feelings  and  enter  into  the  difficulties  of  a  Jew.  He  laid  it  upon 
himself  as  a  Christian  duty  while  he  was  reasoning  with  a  Gentile 
to  throw  himself  into  the  Gentile's  position,  to  try  to  look  at 
things  from  his  point  of  view,  and  even  to  fancy  himself  per- 
plexed with  his  prejudices.  But  directly  he  had  done  with  the 
man  he  wished  to  win,  he  threw  himself  out  of  his  constrained 
position,  he  laid  aside  his  part.  He  was  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile ; 
but  he  was  Paul  again,  with  all  Paul's  personality  and  all  Paul's 
peculiarities.  That  which  Paul  was  for  a  time,  Christ  is  forever. 
That  which  Paul  was  by  effort  and  constraint,  Christ  is  by  the 
very  law  of  His  nature.  He  is  all  things  to  all  men.  He  is  the 
countryman  of  the  world.  He  is  the  Mediator,  not  between  God 
and  a  nation,  but  between  God  and  man.  He  was  the  Jew  and 
the  Gentile,  and  the  Greek  and  the  Roman,  all  in  one.  He  can 
sympathize  with  every  man  because  He  has,  as  it  were,  been  every 
man.  There  is  not  a  natural  throb  which  ever  agitated  the  bosom 
of  humanity  which  Christ  has  not  felt.  The  aspirations  of  loftiest 
genius  and  the  failure  of  humblest  mediocrity,  the  bitterness  of 
disappointment  and  the  triumph  of  success,  the  privations  of  the 
poor  man  and  the  feebleness  of  corporeal  agony,  Christ  knew 
them  all.  He  came  into  this  world  the  Son  and  the  Heir  of  the 
whole  race  of  man. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  passage  before  us  is  selected  for 


12  The  Human  Race 

our  peculiar  purpose  to-day.  It  is  our  business  to  dwell  to-day 
upon  some  of  the  sufferings  common  to  the  human  species.  And, 
therefore,  we  take  up  words  belonging  especially  to  Him  who  was 
the  type  of  the  human  species.  They  were  peculiarly  true  of 
Him.  But  they  are  in  their  measure  true  of  every  one  whom  the 
world  can  class  as  a  son  of  man  :  "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquaint- 
ed with  grief." 

Here  are  two  distinct  facts  whicli  require  consideration : 

I.  The  lot  of  humanity  in  this  world.  This  is  the  portrait  of 
the  species — "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief." 

II.  The  treatment  which  depressed  humanity  commonly  expe- 
riences— "  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  Ilira." 

I.  The  lot  of  humanity  in  this  world  was  the  position  which 
Jesus  occupied  on  earth.  For  the  most  part,  that  lot  is  one  of 
suffering.  But  suffering  is  of  two  kinds  :  pain  which  we  endure 
in  our  own  persons — -Christ  was  "  a  man  of  sorrows ;"  and  pain 
which  we  know  by  familiarity  with  others'  sufferings — Christ  was 
"  acquainted  with  grief." 

1.  First  of  all,  then,  we  are  to  consider  the  personal  trials  of  a 
son  of  man  upon  this  earth — "  a  man  of  sorrows." 

He  that  doubts  whether  we  live  in  a  ruined  world  or  not  has 
to  account  for  this  fact,  that  man's  universal  heritage  is  woe. 
Men  of  poverty  we  are  not  all,  men  of  weak  ability  we  are  not 
all ;  but  the  man  not  of  sorrows  is  yet  unborn.  It  is  the  result 
of  a  universal  survey  of  human  life — "  man  is  born  to  trouble." 
Therefore  trial  fell  to  the  lot  of  Christ,  and  simply  for  this  rea- 
son, that  He  was  man  —  a  man,  therefore  "  a  man  of  sorrows." 
In  this  time-world  those  two  things  shall  not  be  severed.  Bodily 
and  mentally,  the  constitution  of  a  son  of  man  is  such  that  escape 
is  impossible.  Look  at  that  surface  of  the  human  frame  wdiich  is 
exposed  to  outward  injury.  There  runs  beneath  it,  crossed  and 
recrossed  in  windings  inconceivable,  a  network  of  nerves,  every 
fibre  of  which  may  become  the  home  of  pain.  There  is  no  inter- 
stice large  enough  to  admit  between  them,  in  a  space  that  does  not 
feel,  the  finest  needle's  point.  Beneath  all  that  there  is  a  marvel- 
lous machinery.  Man  anatomized  is  like  an  instrument  of  music. 
The  combined  action  of  ten  hundred  thousand  strings,  each  mov- 
ing in  its  moment  and  in  its  place,  is  the  melody  and  the  harmony 
of  health  ;  but  if  one  chord  vibrate  out  of  tune,  you  have  then  the 


Typified  by  the  Man  of  Sorrows.  1 3 

discord  of  tlie  harp,  the  derangement  of  disease.  Our  bodies  are 
strung  to  suffering.  That  we  suffer  is  no  marvel,  that  we  want 
the  repair  of  the  physician  is  no  wonder;  the  marvel  is  this — 
that  a  harp  of  so  many  strings  should  keep  in  tune  so  long. 

Look  next  at  the  mental  machinery  of  a  son  of  man.  These 
incomprehensible  hearts  of  ours,  my  Christian  brethren,  have  their 
liability  to  a  derangement  infinitely  more  terrible  than  bodily  dis- 
organization. The  spirit  of  a  man  will  sustain  his  infirmity,  but 
a  wounded  spirit  who  can  bear  ?  The  inner  mind,  wrapped  up,  as 
it  seems,  by  impenetrable  defences,  is  yet  more  exposed  to  shocks 
and  wounds  than  the  outward  skin  tissue ;  and  the  sensitive  net- 
work which  encompasses  that  mind  is  a  thousandfold  more  alive 
to  agony  than  the  nerves  that  quiver  when  they  are  cut.  There 
is  such  a  thing  as  disappointment  in  this  world.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  affection  thrown  back  upon  itself.  There  are  such  things 
as  slight  and  injury  and  insult.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  an  in- 
dustrious man  finding  all  his  efforts  to  procure  an  honest  liveli- 
hood in  vain,  and  looking  upon  his  pale  children  with  a  heart 
crushed,  to  feel  that  there  is  nothing  for  them  but  the  poor-house. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  man  going  down  the  hill  that  leads  into 
the  sepulchre,  and  acknowledging,  as  the  shadows  darken  around 
him,  that  life  has  been  a  failure.  All  this  is  sorrow ;  and  just  be- 
cause of  the  constitution  with  which  he  is  born.  In  some  form 
or  other,  this  is  the  portion  of  the  son  of  man. 

And,  brethren,  we  remark  this — the  susceptibility  of  suffering 
is  the  lot  of  the  highest  manhood.  Just  in  proportion  as  man  is 
exquisitely  man,  he  is  alive  to  endurance.  There  is  a  languid,  re- 
laxed frame  of  body  in  which  pain  is  not  keenly  felt.  The  more 
complete  the  organization,  the  severer  the  endurance.  Strong  and 
able  manhood  suffers  more  the  division  of  the  nerve  than  softened 
and  debilitated  frames.  So  it  is  with  the  spirit.  The  more  em- 
phatically you  are  the  son  of  man  with  human  nature  in  its  per- 
fection in  you,  the  more  exquisitely  can  your  feelings  bleed.  That 
which  a  base  and  a  craven  spirit  smiles  at  is  torture  to  the  noblest 
and  the  best.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  Christ  was  in  a  peculiar 
sense  the  "  Man  of  sorrows."  Thino-s  which  rouo-h  and  scornful 
men  would  have  shaken  from  them  without  feeling  went  home 
sharp  and  deep  into  His  gentle  and  loving  heart.  The  perfection 
of  His  humanity  insured  for  him  the  perfection  of  endurance — 
*'  Behold  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto  My  sorrow." 


14  TJie  Htunan  Race 

There  is  another  reason  why  a  son  of  man  is  "  a  man  of  sor- 
rows " — because  labor  is  his  heritage.  Our  Master  came  into  this 
world  to  do  a  work.  In  sore  toil,  in  weariness,  in  an  unresting 
perseverance,  which  wore  life  away  and  made  him  seem  fifty  years 
of  age  when  he  was  but  thirty,  that  work  had  to  be  accomplished. 
It  was  forever  pressing  upon  our  Redeemer's  spirit  that  he  was 
here  to  labor.  At  an  age  when  the  boy  has  scarcely  awakened  to 
the  reality  of  life,  when  the  world  is  still  a  playground,  at  twelve 
years  old,  this  was  Christ's  feeling  when  they  found  him  at  work, 
"  Wist  ye  not  I  must  be  about  My  Father's  business  V  Later  on 
in  life  we  have  him  putting  out  the  same  perpetual  conviction  in 
words  more  pressing  as  his  life  was  waning  to  a  close — "  I  must 
work  the  work  ■  of  Him  that  sent  Me."  Lastly,  his  career  was 
closed  with  this  profession,  "  I  have  finished  the  work  which  Thou 
gavest  Me  to  do."  In  all  this  there  is  one  idea — work — unrest- 
ing work;  and  for  the  Son  of  Man  no  repose  until  the  grave.  He 
submitted  himself  to  the  universal  law  in  all  its  rigor,  "In  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread."  His  was  the  agony  of 
bloody  sweat  which  all  men  have  agreed  to  call  Divine — sweat  of 
brow,  sweat  of  brain,  and  sweat  of  heart,  through  life — that  was 
the  Redeemer's  sorrow  of  labor. 

Now,  in  this,  my  Christian  brethren,  Christ  was  a  type  of  hu- 
manity. Labor  is  the  destiny  which  binds  us  with  the  iron  chain 
of  a  law.  There  are  just  a  few — a  luxurious,  pampered  few — who 
have  emancipated  themselves  from  this  law,  and  given  up  life  to 
idleness ;  and  so,  in  escaping  real  distresses,  they  have  found  them- 
selves, to  their  astonishment,  the  victims  of  distresses  no  less  mis- 
erable— the  fanciful,  imaginary,  nervous  wretchedness  of  too  abun- 
dant blessings.  But  when  we  have  put  out  of  sight  these  few 
exceptions,  the  mass  of  mankind  are  forced  to  drink  their  cup. 
Let  us  not  overstate  this — there  is  a  blessing  in  labor,  gladly  we 
acknowledge  that.  There  is  no  health  either  for  mind  or  body 
without  it.  Nothing  good  was  ever  done  without  toil.  No  book 
worth  the  reading  was  ever  written  without  it.  No  work  that 
w^as  meant  to  last  but  cost  the  happy  man  who  did  it  toil.  But 
it  is  true  for  all  that  labor  is  sorrow.  Labor  is  enjoyment  when 
you  have  just  so  much  of  it  as  is  needful  for  exercise,  and  no 
more.  Labor  is  well  when  you  are  not  forced  beyond  your 
strength,  and  can  get  relaxation  when  the  strength  of  frame  gives 
way. 


Typified  by  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  1 5 

But  it  is  seldom  that  labor  of  that  kind  falls  to  the  lot  of  the 
son  of  man.  It  is  all  well  for  those  of  us  who  are  in  easy  life  to 
speak  of  the  blessing  of  having  something  to  do ;  but,  my  beloved 
brethren,  it  is  a  very  different  tale  when  we  have  something,  as 
the  laboring  man  has,  that  we  must  do.  To  him  labor  is  sorrow 
all  through.  It  is  labor  like  his  Master's  from  very  childhood. 
The  grim,  earnest  work  of  life-labor  begins  in  the  cottage  at  an 
age  when  the  rich  man's  child  has  not  thrown  aside  his  toys.  It 
is  sorrow  to  be  looking  for  employment ;  it  is  sorrow,  often  and 
often  it  is  sorrow,  to  be  doino;  it,  sick  or  well,  lang-uid  or  vio-or- 
ously  fresh ;  when  the  head  is  aching  and  the  heart  is  sick,  still 
the  laboring  man  must  be  up  and  doing.  There  will  be  famished 
lips  and  tearful  eyes  next  week  round  an  empty  grate  if  he  allows 
himself  the  luxury  of  rest.  It  is  all  this  which  makes  the  son  of 
man,  because  born  to  labor,  therefore  "a  man  of  sorrows." 

There  is  one  more  ingredient  in  the  cup  which  Christ  dran^: 
which  made  Him  "  a  man  of  sorrows."  He  was  born  poor.  He 
knew  what  it  was  to  want  those  solaces  of  life  which  alleviate 
pain.  "  Foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but 
the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head."  And  now, 
brethren,  it  is  part  of  our  special  business  to-day  to  recollect  what 
sorrow  and  sickness  are  when  they  come  into  the  cottage  of  the 
poor.  There  are,  it  may  be,  in  this  congregation  several  who  have 
scarcely  had  it  forced  upon  their  contemplation.  Living  in  suf- 
ficiency themselves,  they  have  not  suspected  how  others  of  the 
family  of  man  struggle  on.  Brethren,  let  us  contrast  these  things. 
AVhen  illness  makes  its  appearance  in  the  dwellings  of  the  upper 
classes,  there  is  a  rich  abundance  of  resources  to  mitigate  the  suf- 
fering. There  is  all  the  repose  which  can  be  secured  by  subdued 
light,  and  curtained  windows,  and  muffled  knockers,  and  noiseless 
steps.  There  is  a  smoothed  pillow,  there  is  a  warm  room,  there 
are  contrivances  to  suit  and  stimulate  the  sickly  palate ;  the  invalid 
reigns  a  kind  of  monarch  in  his  chamber,  every  arrangement  of 
the  house  giving  way  to  the  arrangements  and  the  hours  of  his 
sick-room.  Pass  on  from  the  comfortable  mansion  to  knock  at 
the  low  door  in  the  next  street.  Sickness  there  exhibits  itself  in 
very  different  attire.  Have  we  ever  looked  at  the  poor  man's 
cottage,  and  pictured  to  ourselves  how  that  almost  den,  small  and 
comfortless  as  it  is,  can  become  the  sick-room  of  the  invalid? 
There  is  no  securing  repose,  for  all  the  domestic  work  of  the 


1 6  TJie  Human  Race 

family  must  be  done  within  a  few  feet  of  the  bed.  The  noise  of 
footsteps  entering  and  retiring  goes  on  all  day  long,  scarcely  di- 
vided by  a  thin  partition  from  the  sick  man's  ear.  We  guard  our 
delicate  consumptive  ones  fearfully  and  affectionately  so  that  not 
a  breath  of  heaven's  air  shall  play  too  roughly  on  the  frame. 
Look  at  consumption  in  the  cottage.  Through  the  perpetually 
opening  door,  and  through  the  broken  window,  and  through  the 
unguarded  chimney  the  death-draughts  pour  down  hour  by  hour 
upon  the  sufferer,  till  the  fell  and  painful  malady  has  done  its 
work,  and  the  rough,  wretched  coffin  lies  prematurely  on  the  bed. 
The  damp  strikes  through  the  brick  or  the  mud  floor,  till  rheu- 
matism has  stiffened  the  joints  into  contracted  uselessness  for  life. 
Water  from  the  pond  is  often  all  they  have  to  wet  the  lips  of  the 
dying.  There  is  not  always  one  free  from  work  to  perpetually 
wet  those  hot  lips.  There  is  no  fire  in  the  bedchamber.  Fuel 
costs  too  much ;  therefore  to  produce  an  artificial  heat  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  every  aperture  must  be  closed  and  pasted  up, 
and  so  in  the  stiffing,  unwholesome  warmth  of  an  overheated  cell, 
which  takes  away  the  very  breath  on  entering,  human  life  is 
gasped  away.  It  is  in  all  this  that  the  poor  man  lives.  It  is  in 
all  this  that  the  invalid  must  be  nursed.  Let  but  the  sentimental- 
ist go  to  the  sick-bed  of  poverty,  where  there  is  scarcely  bread  in 
the  closet  for  a  meal,  and  no  surplus  money  in  the  drawer  to  pay 
the  physician's  fees,  and  he  will  know  what  awful  significance 
may  be  crowded  into  that  one  sentence — "  a  man  of  sorrows." 

2.  There  was  another  feature  in  the  lot  of  the  Son  of  Man  on 
earth,  that  He  was  familiar  with  the  griefs  of  others — "  He  was 
acquainted  with  grief."  Not  merely  by  personally  bearing  it,  but 
by  continually  coming  in  contact  with  it. 

Now  this  acquaintance  of  Christ  with  grief  was  of  two  kinds. 
He  knew  it  by  passive  and  He  knew  it  by  active  familiarity. 
When  Jesus  relieved  distress.  His  acquaintance  with  it  was  of  the 
active  kind.  When  distress  was  simply  in  His  presence,  obtruding 
itself  face  to  face,  then  His  acquaintance  with  it  was  only  passive. 
The  Son  of  Man  knew  sadness  passively  by  sympathy ;  He  knew 
it  actively  by  benevolence.  Concerning  both  which  parts  of  our 
human  life  we  have  a  few  remarks  to  make. 

Christ's  first  acquaintance  with  sorrow  was  by  sympathy.  To 
sympathize  is  simply  this,  to  feel  with  those  that  suffer.  It  is  the 
instinct  of  a  kindly  heart.     It  is  the  obedience  to  that  law  of 


Typified  by  the  Man  of  Sorrozvs.  i  / 

Christian  duty  which  bids  us  "  rejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice, 
and  weep  with  them  that  weep."  It  is  the  rising,  the  almost 
spontaneous  rising,  of  the  emotion  of  pity  in  the  bosom.  You 
do  not  bid  the  feehng  come.  It  comes.  That  is  passive  knowl- 
edge of  misery.  When  we  have  thrilled  over  the  anguish  that  we 
see,  there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  are  acquainted  with  grief. 

And  in  this  knowledge,  brethren,  our  Redeemer's  heart  was 
rich.  We  will  take  but  two  cases  which  belong  to  our  present 
purpose — the  case  of  poverty  and  the  case  of  corporeal  maladies. 
It  was  a  most  distinguishing  feature  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  the  com- 
passion which  He  felt  for  the  degraded,  neglected,  unbefriended 
poor.  It  was  not,  except  by  invitation,  in  the  rich  man's  house 
that  Christ  was  found;  it  was  not  for  his  ears  that  His  instruc- 
tions were  framed.  It  was  His  passion  to  teach  those  who  were 
forgotten  by  the  national  instructors.  There  was  a  burning,  al- 
most passionate,  indignation  in  His  language  whenever  it  came  in 
His  way  to  rebuke  their  oppressors,  who  shut  up  knowledge  from 
them,  and  would  have  kept  them  uneducated,  who  overreached 
them  (in  Bible  phraseology,  "  devouring  widow's  houses  "),  who 
lived  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  while  Lazarus  lay  forgotten  at  their 
very  threshold.  Political  economy  has  spoken  its  fine  lessons  of 
philanthropic  humanity.  Demagogues  have  courted  the  popular 
voice  by  loud  harangues  against  what  they  call  the  oppression  of 
the  rich.  Sentiment  has  taken  poverty  under  its  patronage,  and 
adorned  the  cottage  in  touching  stories  with  imaginary  graces  and 
purities  that  are  never  found  there.  But  no  man  ever  stood  up 
the  poor  man's  champion  but  Christ,  and  those  who,  like  Christ, 
have  lived  with  the  poor  and  for  them.  Read  the  ninth  chapter 
of  St.  Matthew.  It  is  filled  with  tales  of  human  sufferino-  and 
human  ignorance.  At  last  there  comes  before  the  Redeemer  a 
vast  crowd  of  these  poor  and  ignorant  ones.  AVhen  He  saw  the 
multitude,  "  He  was  moved  with  compassion  on  them,  because 
they  fainted,  and  were  scattered  abroad  as  sheep  having  no  shep- 
herd." That  was  not  the  glow  of  a  demagogue's  indignation 
against  the  rich  venting  itself  in  cheap  words.  It  was  not  the 
sickly  sigh  of  a  novel-reader  repining  that  this  world  is  full  of 
woe.  It  was  the  loving  tenderness  of  the  Son  of  Man,  identifying 
Himself  with  the  poor,  and  in  deep  emotion  becoming  acquainted 
with  their  sorrows. 

Once  more,  our  Lord  sympathized  with  bodily  anguish.     He 


1 8  TJie  Htiman  Race 

was  walking  almost  all  His  life  tlirougli  the  wards  of  a  vast  hos- 
pital. The  hospital  was  the  world ;  the  sick,  the  dying,  and  the 
mad  were  lying  on  their  beds  on  both  sides  of  Him.  At  evening 
"  they  brought  unto  Him  many  that  w^ere  sick ;"  and,  it  is  written 
ao-ain  and  again,  "  He  was  moved  with  compassion." 

This,  brethren,  is  an  acquaintance  with  grief  which  most  of  us 
have  not.  Men  are  not  acquainted  with  the  pain  which  this 
world  contains  because  it  is  not  brought  to  them,  and  they  do  not 
go  to  look  for  it.  There  is  a  drapery  of  life  which  curtains  away 
from  us  the  loathsome  parts  of  existence.  You  pass  down  the 
gay  and  glittering  streets  where  almost  all  the  forms  which  pre- 
sent themselves  are  forms  of  busy,  strong,  active  humanity.  Out 
of  doors  in  the  public  thoroughfares  you  see  the  holiday  of  life. 
There  is  squalid  poverty  in  the  by-lanes  and  the  alleys.  There  is 
sickness  in  the  upper  chambers.  But  you  do  not  see  that.  It  is 
not  brought  out  as  it  was  before  Christ,  bed  after  bed  lining  the 
pavement  as  you  pass  on.  You  cannot  count  the  houses  as  you 
go  along,  and  say  this  has  its  one  dead  and  this  has  its  two  dis- 
eased. But  the  physician  and  the  minister  can.  They  can  tell 
you  what  there  is  behind  the  scenes.  They  can  say  that  w^ithin 
a  few  yards  of  where  you  stand  there  is  one  smarting  under  the 
torture  of  an  amputated  limb,  and  another  stricken  by  the  death- 
call  of  incipient  decline,  and  farther  on  another  feeding  with  his 
heart's  best  blood  a  disease  which  is  eating  life  away,  and  for 
which  there  is  no  chance  of  ease  except  in  the  grave.  "We  see  it 
not.  It  is  shut  decently  out  of  sight.  The  sick  man  does  not 
sadden  the  street  to-day  in  which  he  was  walking  blithely  yester- 
day. All  this  is  withdrawn  from  public  scrutiny.  To  become 
vividly  aware  of  it  is  to  feel  the  emotion  of  sympathy.  To  have 
it  perpetually  and  familiarly  before  the  mind  is  to  be  acquainted 
with  grief,  but  acquainted  only  passively. 

In  Christ's  acquaintance  there  was  something  infinitely  more. 
His  love  did  not  end  with  a  passing  sigh.  It  did  not  die  with  a 
keen  emotion.  His  knowledge  of  human  agony  went  deeper  by 
the  active  benevolence  of  relieving  it.  When  He  w*as  troubled  by 
the  tears  of  Martha  and  of  Mary,  He  felt  the  sensation  of  sympa- 
thy ;  but  when  He  went  with  them  to  the  revolting  grave,  and 
gave  back  the  dead  man  to  their  embrace,  it  was  another  kind  of 
knowledge  altogether  which  He  possessed.  It  was  the  acquaint- 
ance got  by  active  benevolence.     This  was  the  reason  for  which 


Typified  by  the  Man  of  Soi'rows.  19 

Clirist  acquainted  Himself  with  grief,  not  to  nurse  His  own  emo- 
tions, but  to  relieve  it.  He  was  perpetually  in  the  presence  of  the 
miserable.  Why  ?  For  this  purpose  :  "  The  blind  receive  their 
sight  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear, 
the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to 
them."  And  here,  brethren,  w^e  make  a  most  important  practical 
distinction.  There  is  something  dangerous  in  benevolence  which 
is  only  emotional;  there  is  something  ennobling  and  something 
godlike  in  active  kindness.  This  is  the  law  of  our  nature,  from 
which  there  is  no  escaping :  impressions  which  are  made  upon  us 
in  the  way  of  feeling  get  weaker  and  weaker  the  oftener  they  are 
repeated ;  but  the  habits  of  love  which  you  get  by  being  useful 
and  active  in  doing  others  good  get  stronger  and  stronger  the 
oftener  you  practise  them.  We  read,  it  may  be,  a  touching  pas- 
sage in  our  favorite  author.  The  first  time  it  thrills  us.  The 
second  time  it  moves  us  less.  The  tenth  time  all  emotion  is  gone, 
except  that  of  mere  admiration.  The  first  death-bed  you  see 
haunts  your  recollection  all  night.  See  a  hundred,  and  the  start- 
ling power  is  gone.  You  reproach  yourself.  You  think  your 
heart  is  harder  than  it  w^as.  Marvel  not !  There  is  no  preventing 
it.  That  acquaintance  with  sorrow  which  is  only  passive  loses  its 
sharpness  every  time  you  see  it.  And  if  a  man  wanted  to  have  a 
thoroughly  callous  and  hardened  heart,  we  can  tell  him  of  no  way 
so  sure  as  this :  Let  him  become  familiar  with  the  distresses  of 
his  fellow-men,  and  do  nothing  to  relieve  them ;  let  him  read  of 
pauper  misery,  and  content  himself  with  theorizing  about  the  im- 
providence of  the  poor ;  let  him  listen  to  appeals  from  the  pulpit 
which  attempt  to  move  his  charity,  and  pass  the  plate  without  a 
sacrifice — we  will  promise  him  his  sensibilities  shall  soon  be  placed 
beyond  the  power  of  wounding ;  he  shall  have  a  heart  as  cold  and 
dead  as  if  he  had  been  born  without  human  sympathies. 

Let  us  put  this  before  us,  brethren,  in  an  illustration  connected 
with  to-day's  subject.  There  are  two  epochs  in  the  career  of 
medical  life.  There  is  a  period  in  the  surgeon's  existence  when 
he  occupies  the  position  of  a  student,  and  belongs  to  a  class  of 
men  proverbially  reckless.  And  there  is  another  period  in  his 
life  when  he  belongs  to  a  class  which  all  experience  forces  us  to 
place  among  the  most  devoted,  the  most  tender,  the  most  sympa- 
thetic of  his  species.  How  comes  it  that  the  young  experimen- 
talist is  so  marvellously  transformed  into  the  benevolent  physi- 


20  The  Hitman  Race 

cian  ?  The  secret  lies  in  this :  In  the  outset  of  the  profession  a 
man  has  to  look  as  a  bystander  on  suffering.  The  recoil  and  the 
faintness  of  human  sensitiveness  pass  off.  He  becomes  familiar 
with  human  anguish.  He  looks  upon  the  contortions  of  agony 
with  the  cold  eye  of  a  theorist.  The  human  frame  into  which 
the  sharp  knife  is  passing  is  nothing  to  him  but  the  material  for 
a  lecture.  Emotion  has  dulled  itself  by  repetition.  This  is  the 
passive  acquaintance  with  sorrow.  It  would  be  a  miracle,  indeed, 
if  all  this  did  not  blunt  sensibility.  For  if  by  God's  wise  law  it 
did  not  blunt  it,  and  if  the  emotion  remained  as  keen  as  ever,  how 
could  the  human  heart  bear  perpetual  laceration?  That  is  the 
first  stage.  But  as  medical  life  goes  on  it  becomes  a  duty  not  to 
look  on,  but  to  relieve.  And  then  he  begins  to  feel  the  blessed- 
ness of  benevolence,  and  once  more  his  heart  expands  when  he 
sets  about  doing  good.  And  year  by  year  the  habit  deepens :  the 
shudder  of  inexperience,  and  the  mere  emotional,  useless  sickening 
of  the  heart,  which  comes  from  witnessing  an  operation — all  that 
is  gone.  It  was  w^orth  nothing,  after  all ;  and  in  its  place  there 
has  come  something  nobler,  something  that  can  be  made  use  of 
in  this  work-day  world,  something  even  in  its  way  Christ-like — 
that  habit  of  prompt  love  which  will  enable  a  man  to  put  up  with 
much  that  is  disgusting,  and  much  that  would  shock  the  false  del- 
icacy of  mere  feeling,  in  order  to  do  good. 

Brethren,  all  this  is  practical.  If  we  would  acquaint  ourselves 
with  sorrow  to  any  purpose,  we  must  relieve  it.  Christian  love  is 
an  active,  hardy  thing.  Let  a  Christian  familiarize  himself  with 
the  trials  of  the  poor.  Let  him  hear  their  tales  of  distress.  Let 
him  see  them  in  their  malady.  But  unless  he  wishes  to  rain  his 
own  heart,  let  him  do  as  the  Samaritan  did,  bind  up  the  wounds, 
and  not  pass  by  on  the  other  side. 

IL  We  say  but  two  things  respecting  the  treatment  which  de- 
pressed humanity  meets  with  in  this  world :  "  We  hid  as  it  were 
our  faces  from  Him."  It  is  the  common  lot  of  the  sad  to  be  for- 
gotten by  the  light-hearted. 

1.  We  hide  our  faces  from  the  "man  of  sorrows"  when  we 
wish  to  make  this  world  a  paradise  of  rest ;  when  we  neglect  the 
duty  of  knowing  and  acquainting  ourselves  with  the  burdens 
which  are  borne  by  men,  and  begin  to  plan  for  this  world  as  if  it 
were  a  place  for  happiness  and  repose.    There  is  no  rest  here  :  woe 


Typified  by  the  Man  of  Sorroivs.  2 1 

to  tlie  man  who  attempts  to  make  it  a  place  of  rest.  Oh !  there 
is  a  false  view  of  things  which  we  get  when  we  try  to  shut  out 
the  thought  of  suffering.  Think  of  the  young  man  and  the  young 
woman  who  make  gayety  their  home  day  after  day  and  night 
after  night,  and  think  of  Christ  wdth  the  sick  and  the  maimed 
around  Him  ;  think  of  one  who  surrounds  himself  with  the  enter- 
tainment of  this  world,  and  think  of  one  whose  day  is  spent  in 
passing  from  one  sick-chamber  to  another.  Observe  the  infinite 
difference  in  the  views  which  they  respectively  form  of  life :  one 
sees  it  all  bright,  the  other  sees  it  (not  dark  only,  and  not  bright 
only)  bright  and  dark  together.  Shut  out  suffering,  and  you  see 
only  one  side  of  this  strange  and  fearful  thing,  the  life  of  man. 
Brightness  and  happiness  and  rest — that  is  not  life.  It  is  only 
one  side  of  life.  Christ  saw  both  sides.  He  could  be  glad,  He 
could  rejoice  with  them  that  rejoice,  He  could  bid  men  be  merry 
at  the  marriage.  He  could  take  His  part  naturally  in  convivial  con- 
versation ;  and  yet  he  has  entered  little  into  the  depths  of  our 
Master's  character  who  does  not  know  that  the  settled  tone  of  His 
disposition  was  a  peculiar  and  subdued  sadness.  Take  the  two 
brightest  moments  of  His  career.  When  glory  encircled  Him  on 
the  mountain  where  His  form  was  clothed  in  the  radiance  of  a  su- 
pernal cloud,  what  was  His  conversation  with  Moses  and  Elias? 
They  spake  to  Him  of  His  decease.  AVhen  a  multitude  escorted 
Him  triumphantly  into  Jerusalem,  in  the  very  midst  of  all  that 
merriment  His  tears  were  flowing  for  Jerusalem.  Not  the  splen- 
dor of  a  transfiguration,  and  not  the  excitement  of  a  procession, 
could  dazzle  the  view  which  the  Son  of  Man  had  formed  of  life. 
Life  was  too  earnest  for  deceiving  Himself ;  He  knew  that  the  son 
of  man  is  "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief."  He  had 
been  behind  the  gaudy  scenes.  He  stood  in  the  very  midst  of  a 
wretched  and  ruined  world  ;  and  when  death  and  retribution  were 
so  near,  what  had  He  to  do  with  a  gleam  of  momentary  sunshine  ? 
That  gave  the  calm  depth  to  the  character  of  Christ ;  He  had  got 
the  true  view  of  life  by  acquainting  Himself  with  grief.  Life  is 
not  for  rest,  but  for  seeking  out  misery. 

And  now,  brethren,  would  we  counteract  the  false  glare  and 
glitter  of  life  ?  Would  we  escape  that  selfish  hardness  which  the 
heart  gets  from  not  being  personally  exposed  to  want  ?  Would 
we  be  calm  and  wise  and  loving,  not  depressed  by  misery,  and  not 
over-hypelated  by  gladness?     Acquaint  yourselves  with  sorrow; 


22  'The  Human  Race 

know  something  of  the  way  in  which  the  poor  man  lives.  Asso- 
ciation with  the  poor  is  a  marvellous  corrective  of  the  evils  of 
easy  circumstances.  Real  sorrows  make  us  ashamed  of  imaginary 
ones ;  they  force  us  out  of  ourselves ;  they  make  us  feel  that  there 
is  an  infinite  voice  in  the  suffering  of  which  the  world  is  full,  call- 
ing out  Shame  upon  the  way  in  which  the  rich  man  surrounds 
himself  with  indulgences.  Brethren,  but  how  much  know  ye, 
how  much  reck  ye,  of  the  suffering  which  is  around  you  ?  In  the 
brightness  which  this  week  may  have  in  store,  let  this  question 
suggest  itself :  Am  I  hiding  my  face  from  the  "  Man  of  sorrows?" 

2.  Again,  we  hide  our  faces  from  the  "  Man  of  sorrows"  when 
we  forget  that  we  are  sent  into  this  world  to  relieve  misery. 
There  is  an  evil  which  is  done  in  this  world  by  the  "  want  of 
thought ;"  that  is  the  sin  of  those  who  go  through  life,  not  sus- 
pecting, and  not  caring  to  inquire  how  much  there  is  of  human 
desolation.  And  there  is  an  evil  which  is  done  in  this  world  by 
"  the  want  of  heart ;"  that  is  the  sin  of  those  who  are  familiar 
with  all  that  you  can  tell  them  of  misery,  and  still  go  on  feasting 
and  dressing  and  amusing  themselves,  and  doling  out  the  driblets 
of  their  income  with  a  grudge  in  the  sacred  cause  of  benevolence. 

Brethren,  there  is  a  cause  before  us  to-day  about  whose  excel- 
lence there  is  no  second  opinion.  A  man  may  have  objections  to 
the  system  of  collecting  money  for  the  able-bodied  pauper;  he 
may  not  see  the  stringency  of  the  obligation  to  send  missionaries 
to  the  heathen ;  he  may  call  it  a  useless  expense  to  endeavor  to 
convert  the  Jews ;  but  a  hospital  is  a  common  ground  on  which 
all  opinions  meet — to  heal  the  sick  who  cannot  heal  themselves ; 
to  soothe  real  anguish  which  is  not  brought  on  by  fault — that  is 
the  universal  sacred  cause  of  the  human  race.  Suffer,  brethren,  a 
personal  testimony  to  the  tenderness  with  which  the  Cheltenham 
Hospital  is  carried  on.  It  is  a  minister's  duty  from  time  to  time 
to  visit  those  of  his  own  district  who  may  chance  to  be  removed 
within  those  walls  as  in-patients — and  he  has  opportunities  of  ob- 
serving that  the  poor  are  treated  with  a  gentleness,  a  human  con- 
sideration, an  attention  as  scrupulous  as  if  costly  rewards  were 
theirs  to  give.  "  Had  I  been  a  prince,"  said  one  of  these  wretched 
ones  to  his  minister  a  few  days  ago,  after  a  confinement  there  of 
six  weeks,  "  I  could  not  have  had  my  wishes  more  quickly  obey- 
ed." Oh,  it  docs  the  heart  good  to  go  straight  from  the  comfort- 
less hovel  to  the  clean,  cheerful,  sick-ward !    There  is  human  pain 


Degrees  in  Glory.  23 

before  you  in  abundance,  but  it  is  pain  sootbed ;  tbere  is  some- 
thing like  a  resting-place  for  the  burning  temple ;  tbere  is  some- 
thing like  quiet  for  the  racked  and  swimming  brain. 

You  are  reminded  that  you  are  in  a  world  of  sorrow ;  but  you 
are  reminded,  too,  that  you  are  in  a  world  into  which  the  Cross 
and  the  love  of  Christ  have  brought  a  remedy,  and  taught  men  to 
minister  to  wretchedness.  Brethren,  the  appeal  is  made  to  you 
to  day  on  behalf  of  the  man  of  sorrows,  and  the  appeal  is  this : 
acquaint  yourselves  with  his  grief ;  hide  not  thy  face  away  from 
Mm. 


11. 
DEGREES  IN  GLORY. 

(from  autograph  MS.) 

Chrht  Church,  Cheltenham,  May,  1816. 

"And  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Ye  shall  drink  indeed  of  my  cup,  and  be 
baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with :  but  to  sit  on  my  right 
hand,  and  on  my  left,  is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be  given  to  them  for 
whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father." — Matt.  xx.  23. 

There  are  errors  ^vhich  belong  to  the  first  days  of  religious  life 
which  are  to  be  reckoned  in  the  list  of  mistakes  rather  than  in  the 
class  of  sins ;  and  God  seems  to  look  upon  them  mercifully  and  to 
treat  them  leniently,  as  a  father  passes  over  the  follies,  and  the 
wilfulness,  and  the  outbursts  of  sullenness  in  his  young  children 
without  severe  remark.  They  are  wrong,  but  still  they  are  weak- 
nesses, in  a  measure  to  be  expected — things  to  be  set  right  rather 
than  to  be  punished. 

Three  such  mistakes  as  these  were  exhibited  by  Christ's  disci- 
ples in  that  conversation  of  which  I  have  read  a  part.  The  first 
mistake  was  a  misconception  of  what  religious  life  is ;  the  second 
was  an  entire  miscalculation  of  their  own  capacities ;  and  the  third 
was  a  readiness  to  make  a  boastful  profession  of  their  religion. 
All  these  mark  the  outset  of  religious  life. 

First  of  all,  they  had  very  poor  conceptions  of  what  religion  is : 
they  reckoned  it  to  be  all  enjoyment  and  blessedness  and  reward. 
Scarcely  had  their  career  begun.  The  hard  part  of  it  had  not  be- 
gun.    Trial,  opposition,  persecution — of  all  this  as  yet  they  had 


24  Degrees  in  Glory. 

known  notliing ;  and  yet,  as  if  it  were  all  over,  as  if  the  battle  had 
been  fought,  and  nothing  remained  except  the  partition  of  the 
conquered  territory,  James  and  John,  or  their  mother  in  their 
name,  came  to  Jesus  with  the  request  that  they  might  sit  one  on 
His  right  hand  and  the  other  on  the  left  in  His  kingdom.  The 
reply  that  they  received  was  in  the  first  instance  simply  a  charge 
of  ignorance,  "  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask."  We  take  that  as  the 
first  mark  of  inexperienced  Christians ;  ignorance  of  what  awaits 
them.  No  marvel  that  it  should  be  so.  It  is  God's  special  mercy 
that  hides  it  from  His  children,  or  who  would  have  the  heart  to 
persevere  ?  Christ  had  stood  between  His  disciples  and  the  world 
— the  world's  cold  sneer  and  the  world's  sharp  rebuke.  He  had 
borne  all  this,  and  they  had  stood  as  behind  a  shield.  No  wonder 
if  they  did  not  yet  recognize  what  religious  life  means.  Christian 
life,  brethren,  is  not  rest :  "  It  is  high  time  to  awake  out  of  sleep." 
Christian  life  is  not  making  time  pass  away  comfortably  :  "  Woe 
unto  them  that  are  at  ease  in  Zion."  Christian  life  is  not  reward : 
*'  If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  in  Christ,"  then  "  we  are  of  all 
men  most  miserable."  Christian  life  is  work,  trial,  earnestness, 
victory.  The  disciples  mistook  all  that.  If  they  had  mistaken  it 
ten  years  later,  they  would  have  merited  rebuke ;  as  it  was,  they 
received  affectionate  but  yet  humiliating  counsel :  "  Ye  know  not 
what  ye  ask." 

There  was  a  second  mistake  in  their  request — a  misconception 
of  their  own  capacities.  It  is  so  with  all  beginners.  We  require 
bitter,  humbling  experiences  before  we  are  persuaded  that  there 
are  some  situations  infinitely  above  our  powers.  The  disciples 
were  ready  at  a  moment's  warning,  without  anxiety,  to  undertake 
the  responsibility  of  the  highest  duty  which  God  might  have  to 
lay  on  mortals'  shoulders.  They  would  have  taken  the  right  hand 
and  the  left  without  shrinking  from  the  dangerous  honor.  In 
God's  kingdom  there  is  no  such  thing  as  high  privilege  without 
high  responsibility.  There  is  no  sitting  on  God's  right  hand  in 
the  place  of  honor,  without  at  the  same  time  having  a  high  and 
arduous  trust  to  execute.  James  and  John  were  ready  for  that ; 
they  never  paused  to  ask.  Are  we  qualified  ?  There  was  a  terrible 
preparatory  education;  they  never  stopped  to  ask.  Can  we  go 
through  it  ?  Modesty  is  seldom  the  attribute  of  the  untried.  Mod- 
esty is  a  thing  we  learn  generally  by  shame  and  failure.  A  young 
Christian  is  ambitious  to  distiniruish  himself  as  a  saint  at  once. 


Degrees  in  Glory.  25 

It  is  the  aged  saint  who  counts  it  an  honor  if  he  be  permitted 
"  with  shame  to  take  the  lowest  place." 

There  was  yet  a  third  error,  characteristic  of  early  and  not  ad- 
vanced religion,  and  that  was  the  readiness  with  which  they  com- 
mitted themselves,  by  boastful  profession,  to  lead  a  life  which  they 
were  then  far  from  able  to  endure.  Their  Master  replied  to  their 
questions  by  another.  They  asked,  "  Let  us  sit  one  on  Thy  right 
hand,  and  the  other  on  the  left,  in  Thy  glory."  lie  inquired, 
"Can  ye  drink  of  my  cup,  and  be  baptized  with  my  baptism?" 
And  then  it  was  that  these  frail  novices  pledged  themselves  to 
bear  a  trial  whose  very  name  they  scarcely  understood.  AYhat 
knew  they  as  yet  of  the  cup  of  agony,  and  the  baptism  of  blood ; 
and  yet  —  Can  ye  drink  My  cup?  Can  ye  bear  My  baptism? 
AVe  can.  Tliis  was  boasting.  This  was  ostentation.  But  let  us 
observe,  Christ  did  not  rebuke  them.  He  did  not  even  attempt 
to  make  them  retract  by  explaining  what  it  was  to  which  they 
had  committed  themselves.  He  took  them  at  their  word :  Ye 
shall  drink  indeed  of  My  cup.  They  had  erred ;  but  it  was  an  er- 
ror, not  a  sin ;  and  He  quietly  left  it  to  time  to  teach  its  own 
sad,  humbling,  strengthening  lesson.  He  knew  Avell  they  would 
find  out  their  mistake,  and  be  ashamed  of  their  confidence,  soon 
enough. 

In  passing,  we  make  one  observation.  In  all  this  there  is  a  les- 
son for  us  of  condescension  to  inexperienced  Christians.  It  is  in 
the  spiritual  as  it  is  in  the  natural  life.  There  is  a  time  when  the 
child  passes  into  the  man.  AVe  call  that  period  boyhood — the 
most  unruly,  the  most  selfish,  the  most  ungovernable  of  all  the 
epochs  of  human  existence.  But  the  wise  parent  is  not  discon- 
certed when  he  discovers  all  this  beo-innino;.  There  is  much  of 
the  folly  of  the  child,  but  there  is  also  much  of  the  strength  and 
dignity  of  the  man.  And  so  he  waits  till  this  chaos  time  is  past, 
till  added  years  have  brought  added  humility,  and  added  experi- 
ence has  taught  his  boy  to  distrust  himself.  So,  also,  in  religious 
life  there  is  a  time  when  the  spiritual  child  passes  into  the  spirit- 
ual man — a  period  marked  almost  always  by  error  and  numberless 
inconsistencies.  But  by  the  example  of  our  Master,  Christ,  we  are 
not  to  be  disconcerted  at  all  this.  And  if  we  find  much  of  the  old 
love  of  worldliness  hanging  about  the  young  Christian  still — a  de- 
sire for  the  distinction  of  religion,  a  wish  for  the  right  hand  and 
the  left — we  are  to  wait.    Or  if  we  see  that,  with  much  love,  there 

2 


26  Degrees  in  Glory. 

is  also  little  experience  of  weakness,  and  therefore  much  boasting, 
still  we  are  to  wait  patiently.  The  Christian  is  in  process  of  for- 
mation, and  by-and-by  the  child  will  have  disappeared,  and  the 
man  be  established  in  its  place. 

But  now  our  present  point  is  this :  Christ  did  more  than  bear 
with  these  infirmities ;  He  attempted  to  remove  them.  Infirmities 
are  pardonable,  graceful,  in  the  child ;  they  are  contemptible  in 
the  man.  He  would  be  lenient  to  His  disciples,  passing  as  they 
were  from  spiritual  childhood  into  spiritual  manhood ;  but  He  did 
not  intend  them  to  be  forever  in  a  transition  state.  The  corrective 
which  our  Master  applied  to  these  weaknesses  was  the  doctrine  <  f 
the  Cross.  Instead  of  ease,  He  told  them  of  trial.  AVhen  they 
spoke  of  enjoyment.  He  reminded  them  of  the  pain  without  which 
enjoyment  is  not  safe.  To  shame  them  of  their  boasting,  He 
warned  them  of  endurance.  "  Can  ye  drink  of  My  cup  ?" — "  Ye 
shall  drink  indeed  of  My  cup."  This,  brethren,  is  the  subject  we 
are  to  examine  :  the  meaning  and  the  results  of  suffering.  An  ap- 
propriate subject  for  this  day  on  which  the  Redeemer  expressed 
to  the  world  the  Divine  significance  of  suffering.  In  preparing  for 
the  highest  attainments,  the  Son  of  Man  can  be  perfected  only 
through  suffering. 

AVe  shall  pursue  this  subject  in  two  branches : 

I.  The  difference  of  degrees  in  glory ; 

II.  The  principle  on  which  that  difference  is  regulated. 

I.  There  is  contained  in  this  passage  a  very  distinct  intimation 
that  in  the  world  of  glory  beyond  the  grave  all  saints  will  not 
stand  in  a  position  of  exact  equality.  There  will  be  degrees  in 
glory.  There  will  be  differences  of  blessedness.  There  will  be 
varying  steps  of  dignity.  We  are  not  at  liberty  to  infer  that 
there  will  be  degrees  merely  because  the  apostles  took  it  for 
granted,  for  it  might  have  been  an  unfounded  fancy  which  made 
them  dream  of  places  of  superior  honor.  But  we  do  infer  it  from 
the  Redeemer's  answer.  His  reply  was  not.  Ask  not  for  high 
places,  for  all  are  equal  there.  Theirs  w^as  a  serious  misconception, 
if  it  were  a  misconception,  and  one  which  it  was  needful  to  re- 
move without  delay.  But  we  look  in  vain  for  anything  like  cor- 
rection. He  gave  countenance  to  their  conception.  He  acknowl- 
edged that  it  was  no  blind  fancy.  His  admission  came  to  this, 
that  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  there  is  a  right  hand  and  a  left, 


Degrees  in  Glory.  27 

which  "  shall  be  given  to  them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  My 
Father." 

This,  brethren,  is  the  doctrine  we  have  to  establish  and  examine 
— the  doctrine  of  degrees  in  glory.  And,  first  of  all,  it  is  most 
natural  that  it  should  be  so.  If  in  heaven  there  were  anything 
like  universal  equality,  it  would  stand  out  an  exception  in  God's 
universe,  it  would  not  be  like  one  of  God's  plans.  Everything  we 
know,  everything  man  ever  heard  of  in  God's  creation,  goes  by 
steps,  gradually  and  beautifully  smoothing  off  from  the  lowest  to 
the  highest.  The  vegetable  w^orld  slides  into  the  animal  world, 
and  you  cannot  tell  where  one  ends  and  the  other  begins.  Step 
by  step,  from  lower  organization  on  to  higher,  till  you  come  to 
the  division-line  where  instinct  borders  upon  reason,  and  you  can- 
not for  certain  draw  the  boundary.  The  animal  which  possesses 
liighest  instinct  treads  so  close  upon  the  man  who  is  gifted  with 
lowest  reason  that  you  hesitate  whether  the  nobler  beast  has  only 
instinct,  and  the  animalized  man  has  truly  reason.  This  is  God's 
chain.  His  beautiful  chain,  of  unequal  links.  This  is  God's  world, 
God's  work.  Every  spot  in  which  you  can  trace  God  at  work, 
there  has  He  made  degrees.  Each  thing  in  this  universe  has  its 
own  destined  place.  The  thing  below  it  cannot  occupy  that  place, 
nor  can  the  thing  above  it.  Make  the  experiment,  and  there  is  a 
link  broken. 

Trace  next  that  principle  in  one  of  the  single  links — man  him- 
self. Men  are  not  born  equal.  Say  nothing  of  circumstantial  dif- 
ferences, such  as  climate  and  education  and  property ;  there  are 
differences  between  man  and  man  quite  distinct  from  these.  Give 
two  characters  the  same  advantages,  will  any  system  of  education 
insure  that  they  shall  be  equal?  Education  can  give  habits  of 
mind,  information,  memory,  power  of  attention.  Can  education 
give  the  instinctive  eagle  glance  of  genius  ?  Can  conditions  ?  Can 
circumstances?  There  are  some  men  upon  whose  brow  nature  has 
impressed  the  diadem  of  intellectual  royalty ;  and  there  are  some 
men  who  are  marked  for  intellectual  inferiority.  There  are  minds 
born  to  command  ;  there  are  minds  born  to  be  feeble,  except  when 
supported  and  led  by  others.  There  is  the  first-rate,  and  there  is 
the  second-rate — born  so,  not  made  by  human  will ;  God  created 
one  man  to  differ  from  another.  Ao-ain  and  ao-ain  revolutions 
have  tried  to  level  all  differences ;  but  in  the  next  generation 
God's  insulted  law  has  vindicated  itself:  the  towerino-  mind  has 


28  Degrees  in  Glory. 

risen  into  a  new  aristocracy ;  the  feeble  mind  has  sunk  into  a 
fresli  lowest  class.  Men  can  make  human  distinctions  to  proceed 
on  a  new  principle  ;  break  down,  destroy,  level  as  they  will,  equal- 
ity they  cannot  get. 

Brethren,  these  are  only  specimens  of  a  universal  law,  and  the 
law  is  found  in  the  heaven  as  in  the  earth :  "  One  star  differeth 
from  another  star  in  glory."  It  is  God's  law  of  inequality.  In 
earth,  in  matter,  and  in  mind  there  will  be,  and  there  must  be, 
thrones  and  dominions,  with  principalities  and  powers.  Now  this 
does  not  prove  that  there  will  be  degrees  in  heaven,  but  it  makes 
it  exceedingly  improbable  that  there  will  not.  The  beauty  and  the 
harmony  of  this  creation  consist  in  each  thing  having  its  own 
appointed  niche  in  the  magnificent  fabric  of  the  universe.  The 
order  of  this  universe  is  constructed  upon  the  principle  of  de- 
grees. Is  it  likely  that  God's  heaven  will  be,  not  a  series  of  steps 
ascending  up  to  God,  but  a  dead  level  ?  Is  it  probable  that  it  will 
be  a  thing  marring  this  glorious  symmetry  and  this  exquisite  gra- 
dation by  being  dependent  on  a  principle  of  equality  ? 

So  much,  brethren,  for  likelihood.  But  we  have  much  more 
than  likelihood.  Except  that  excellent  men  have  denied  it,  it 
would  seem  impossible  to  read  Scripture  without  perceiving  that 
its  assertions  are  distinct  upon  this  point.  First  of  all,  there  is  a 
promise  given  to  the  apostles  that  in  the  regeneration  they  shall 
sit  on  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  Thrones, 
and  something  like  the  sway  of  ancient  judges — a  royal  jurisdic- 
tion over  others.  Here  is  superiority  in  one  class,  subordination 
in  another.  If  we  only  grant  thus  much,  that  there  is  something 
peculiar  reserved  for  Christ's  apostles,  you  have  introduced  the 
principle  of  degrees  in  heaven.  Is  it  conceivable  that  it  should 
stop  there?  Once  more,  there  is  something  in  heaven  which  is 
represented  by  the  figure  of  being  ruler  over  ten  cities,  and  there 
is  another  something  which  is  equivalent  to  being  ruler  over  five 
cities.  What  is  that  but  gradation  of  some  kind  ?  Whatever  it 
may  mean,  this  is  clear,  that  there  is  one  position  amounting  to 
only  half  the  other.  Lastly,  brethren,  we  take  the  passage  before 
us,  and  we  hold  it  to  be  decisive  and  full  upon  this  point.  There 
is  a  post  of  honor.  There  is  an  affliction  working  out  "a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  There  is  a  peculiar 
nearness  to  Christ.  There  is  a  right  hand  to  ihe  throne  of  God. 
And  there  are  some  for  whom  that  transcendent  blessedness  is 


Degrees  in  Glory.  29 

specially  reserved :  "  it  shall  be  given  to  tliera  for  whom  it  is  pre- 
pared of  My  Father." 

There  is  a  difficulty  in  the  way  of  all  this  which  it  behooves  us 
to  consider.  The  doctrine  of  diversities  in  glory  has  seemed  to 
some  men  to  interfere  with  the  Redeemer's  merits.  It  has  ap- 
peared to  them  that  if  every  Christian  stands  before  God  com- 
plete in  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  there  can  be  no  difference  in 
one  above  another,  for  the  position  of  one  is  exactly  the  same  as 
the  inheritance  of  the  other.  And  so,  from  a  most  affectionate  and 
loyal  zeal  for  the  honor  of  Christ,  they  have  refused  to  admit  that 
there  can  be  anything  like  a  right  hand  of  God's  throne. 

Brethren,  the  imputed  righteousness  of  Christ  gives  every  man 
exactly  the  same  title,  the  same  right,  to  enjoy  heaven,  but  it  does 
not  give  to  every  man  the  same  soul  for  the  enjoyment.  Each 
man  remains  an  individual  self,  not  merged  and  lost  in  Christ — an 
individual  still,  with  his  powers,  his  character,  exactly  what  his 
time  of  education  upon  earth  made  him.  The  thief  who  had  but 
an  hour  or  two  of  Christian  life,  and  the  aged  saint  who  has  been 
disciplined  in  Christ  for  seventy  years,  stand  exactly  on  the  same 
footing  so  far  as  title  is  concerned.  The  Redeemer's  merits  are 
the  passport  for  the  saint,  just  as  entirely  as  they  are  the  passport 
for  the  penitent.  Each  has  the  same  heaven — so  far  they  are 
equal ;  but  unless  each  can  enjoy  that  heaven  with  the  same  in- 
tensity, so  far  they  are  not  equal.  Let  two  men  listen  to  the  same 
swell  of  glorious  music,  and  yet  just  because  there  is  a  difference 
in  their  internal  nervous  organization  one  shall  be  only  moved 
and  pleased,  and  the  other  shall  be  entranced  and  thrilled.  Let 
two  men  gaze  on  the  same  masterpiece  of  sculpture  or  of  glorious 
painting ;  one  has  the  perception  of  the  beautiful  cultivated  by  an 
artist's  education,  and  the  other  has  only  the  duller  associations  of 
a  peasant.  The  same  admission  has  been  granted  to  them  both, 
the  same  colors  are  spread  out  before  them  ;  but  is  tlicir  heaven 
of  enjoyment  equal  ? 

These,  brethren,  are  inadequate  illustrations,  but  they  are 
enough  to  make  this  thing  conceivable.  There  may  be  the  same 
heaven  for  all  God's  redeemed.  There  may  be  the  same  glorious 
presence,  shedding  its  blessedness  upon  all.  There  may  be  the 
same  right  to  sit  at  the  marriage  sapper  of  the  Lamb.  There  may 
be  the  same  strains  of  entrancing  melody,  carrying  home  the  har- 
monious and  the  beautiful  to  the  spirits  of  all  who  are  there.    And 


30  Degrees  m  Glory, 

yet  it  is  perfectly  conceivable  that  there  may  be  a  right  hand  and 
a  left.  Just  because  here  on  earth  there  has  been  produced  in 
some  a  more  exquisite  meetness  for  the  enjoyments  which  are 
found  there,  and  a  more  enlarged  wisdom,  and  a  stronger  power 
of  love,  therefore  one  soul  may  be  drawn,  as  it  were,  more  closely 
to  God,  and,  consequently,  to  blessedness,  than  another  can. 

II.  We  have  now,  in  the  second  place,  to  look  at  the  principle 
on  which  all  this  is  carried  on.  There  is  a  right  hand  of  God's 
throne.     On  what  principle  is  that  dignity  conferred  ? 

Now,  to  this  Scripture  answers,  first  of  all,  that  it  is  not  on  a 
principle  of  arbitrary  selection.  The  two  apostles  seem  to  have 
thought  that  it  was.  They  appear  to  have  conceived  that  their 
Master  had  the  glories  of  the  other  world  lodged  in  His  hands  for 
the  purpose  of  being  distributed  according  to  His  own  personal 
affections.  The  prime-minister  of  a  country  is  intrusted  by  his 
sovereign  with  certain  dignities  which  he  is  at  liberty  to  confer. 
But  friendship,  family  connection,  favor,  regulate  all  these.  And 
the  apostles  seem  to  have  looked  upon  heaven's  honors  as  distrib- 
uted in  that  way,  and  so,  in  their  spirit  of  eager  manoeuvring, 
they  came  as  the  first  applicants  to  forestall  a  promise :  "  Grant 
unto  us  that  we  may  sit,  one  on  Thy  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 
Thy  left,  in  Thy  glory." 

Let  us  mark  our  Redeemer's  answer,  for  it  is  full  of  instruction  : 
"  To  sit  on  My  right  hand,  and  on  My  left,  is  not  Mine  to  give." 
Did  He  mean  to  tell  them  that  the  office  of  dispensing  those  glo- 
ries was  not  His,  but  another's  ?  Surely  not ;  for  the  Son  of  Man 
will  dispense  them  as  the  Judge  at  the  last  day.  Did  He  mean 
to  say  that  He  had  no  authority  of  His  own  to  give  away  the  glo- 
ries of  heaven  ?  Surely  not ;  for  there  is  given  to  Hirn  authority : 
"  All  judgment  is  committed  to  Him,  because  He  is  the  Son  of 
Man."  But  the  plain  meaning  was  this,  that  they  were  not  His  to 
give  by  absolute  or  arbitrary  right.  There  were  certain  eternal  prin- 
ciples in  the  bosom  of  the  Deity  which  must  guide  Him  in  their 
distribution.  John  the  beloved  asked  this  favor  of  his  Lord,  but 
Christ's  personal  love  to  John  could  not  place  him  one  step  above 
another.  Personal  favor  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  justice  every- 
thing. Steps  of  glory  are  not  w^on  by  favoritism,  if  such  a  word 
may  be  reverently  used.  Not  by  arbitrary  selection  :  It  is  not  mine 
to  give  except  to  those  "  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  My  Father." 


Degrees  in  Glory,  31 

The  last  question,  then,  we  have  to  ask  is,  Who  are  they  for 
whom  the  Father  has  prepared  the  special  glories  of  the  life  to 
come  ?  There  seems  to  be  in  our  Master's  conversation  a  most 
clear  reply  to  this.  They  who  have  borne  the  sharpest  cross  are 
prepared  to  wear  the  brightest  crown.  They  who  best  and  most 
steadily  can  drain  the  cup  which  God  shall  put  into  their  hands 
to  drink  are  the  spirits  destined  to  sit  on  His  right  hand  and  on 
His  left.  Our  Master's  question  was  significant.  They  asked  for 
honor.  He  demanded  if  they  were  willing  to  pay  the  price  of 
honor :  Can  ye  drink  of  My  cup  ?  Here,  brethren,  is  the  everlast- 
ing principle  which  no  dispensation  of  favor  can  set  aside.  There 
is  no  preparation  for  any  son  of  man  except  through  suffering. 
The  grandest  diadem  which  God  has  to  bestow  upon  His  selected 
children  of  this  earth  is  the  crown  of  thorns.  For  highest  bless- 
edness there  is  no  preparation  without  unusual  trial. 

And  now,  first  of  all,  Christ  submitted  to  this  eternal  law  Him- 
self. He  became  "  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross;  wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  Him."  Prophets 
spoke  in  the  old  days  of  the  "sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory 
that  should  be  revealed."  One  was  impossible  without  the  other. 
Christ,  being  man,  became  subject  to  the  irreversible  law  which 
binds  humanity.  Victory  over  trial,  that  is  man's  only  glory. 
Christ  had  to  suffer  before  it  vas  possible  for  Him  to  reign. 

Let  us  understand  what  this  cup  was  which  Jesus  drank.  It 
was  martyrdom.  Has  any  man  ever  tried  to  realize  what  it  is  to 
be  a  martyr?  There  was  the  agony  of  a  sharp  death,  of  course, 
but  that  was  only  a  part.  In  days  of  martyrdom  men  live  with 
the  possibility  of  death  before  them.  False  hearts  are  apostatizing 
on  every  side,  friends  are  weakening  resolution,  life  is  smiling  with 
its  promises  of  peace,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  that  a  martyr  has  to 
steel  his  soul,  and  quietly  bear  the  sickening,  harrowing  uncertain- 
ty, and  then,  when  the  cup  is  put  into  his  hand  at  last,  he  has  to 
drink  it  calmly  and  cheerfully  as  his  Master  did.  All  that  men 
have  done  for  the  love  of  Christ.  That  is  in  the  most  literal  sense 
Christ's  baptism  of  blood.  And  it  would  seem  to  be  the  language 
of  the  Bible  that  there  is  a  peculiar  coronet  of  glory  for  men  who 
suffer  for  the  truth.  But  now,  is  there  anything  like  this  in  daily 
life?  Brethren,  much.  To  be  a  martyr  is  to  witness  for  Christ's 
truth.  To  be  a  martyr  is  to  take  up  Christ's  cross.  The  worst 
part  of  martyrdom  is  not  the  last  agonizing  moment;  it  is  the  wear- 


32  Degrees  in  Glory. 

ing,  daily  steadfastness.  Men  -who  can  make  np  tbeir  minds  to 
hold  out  against  the  torture  of  an  hour  have  sunk  under  the  wea- 
riness and  the  harass  of  small  prolonged  vexations.  And  there  are 
many  Christians  who  have  the  weight  of  some  deep,  incommuni- 
cable grief  pressing,  cold  as  ice,  upon  their  hearts.  To  bear  that 
cheerfully  and  manfully  is  to  be  a  martyr.  There  are  many 
Christians  who  know  wbat  doubt  is,  such  doubt  as  Christ  experi- 
enced on  the  cross,  shutting  out  light  and  consolation,  and  making 
this  world  a  wilderness :  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  for- 
saken me?"  To  tread  that  down,  as  if  with  an  iron  heel,  upon 
the  serpent's  head  is  to  be  a  victorious  martyr.  There  is  many  a 
Christian  bereaved  and  stricken  in  the  best  hopes  of  life.  For  such 
a  one  to  say  quietly,  "  Father,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt,"  is 
to  be  a  martyr.  There  is  many  a  Christian  who  feels  the  irksome- 
ness  of  the  duties  of  life,  and  feels  his  spirit  revolting  from  them. 
To  get  up  every  morning  with  the  firm  resolve  to  find  pleasure  in 
those  duties,  and  do  them  well,  and  finish  the  work  which  God 
has  given  us  to  do,  that  is  to  drink  Christ's  cup.  The  commonest 
life,  brethren,  has  its  cross  for  him  who  has  the  heart  to  love  the 
cross.  We  do  not  want  back  the  days  of  martyrdom.  The  hum- 
blest occupation  has  in  it  materials  of  discipline  for  the  highest 
heaven,  and  for  the  right  hand  and  the  left  in  Christ's  kingdom. 

The  cup  which  Christ  drank  was  self-humiliation.  This  was 
the  peculiarity  of  His  death,  that  He  humbled  Himself  unto 
death.  God  has  prepared  the  right  hand  in  His  kingdom  for  the 
humble :  "  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
minister  ;  and  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
servant."  The  longer  a  Christian  lives,  the  more  he  feels  this,  that 
the  only  true  greatness  is  to  destroy  our  evil  selves — that  self  which 
cleaves  to  us,  that  self  which  ruins  and  degrades  everything  we  do. 
To  conclude  this  subject  there  are  two  remarks  to  be  made : 
First,  let  the  cross  of  Christ  teach  us  to  look  calmly  on  this 
suffering  world.  Life  is  full  of  trial,  and  it  is  a  perplexing  thing 
to  look  around  us  and  see  the  race  of  men  groaning  under  their 
burden.  We  know  but  one  satisfactory  explanation  of  that 
strange  mystery  —  thoroughly  satisfactory  —  which  calms  all 
doubts.  The  cross  of  Christ  is  the  explanation.  The  cross  is 
the  distinct  announcement  to  us  of  that  wonderful  law  which  fills 
all  life,  that  "  through  much  tribulation  we  must  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."     Perfection  through  suffering,  that  is  the 


Degrees  in  Glory.  33 

doctrine  of  the  cross.  There  is  love  in  that  law.  Trial  is  not  the 
mark  of  an  angry  God ;  it  is  the  evidence  of  deepest  parental 
love.  This  is  ever  true,  that  the  humblest  Christians  are  the  ho- 
liest, the  most  subdued  are  they  whom  God  has  baptized  in  suf- 
fering. Let  us  learn  to  take  that  view  of  this  strange  existence, 
for  it  is  the  true  and  cheerful  view. 

Secondly,  we  learn  to  leave  our  own  future  destinies  calmly  and 
trustfully  in  God's  hands.  The  apostles  asked  Christ  about  their 
place  in  heaven,  and  He  gave  them  no  information  on  the  subject ; 
He  left  them  upon  that  point  entirely  in  the  dark.  He  told  them 
that  exaltation  is  won  through  humiliation ;  He  warned  them  that 
the  preparation  for  a  high  heaven  is  sharp  trial.  But,  whether 
theirs  should  be  a  high  heaven  or  not.  He  did  not  choose  to  tell 
them.  Now  there  is  a  distinct  lesson  for  us  here.  Present  duties, 
brethren,  are  ours ;  future  destinies  are  in  God's  hands.  Be  con- 
tent to  leave  them  there  in  trust.  The  Father  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him  the  right  hand  and  the  left.  We  are  to  ask 
no  more.  Each  of  us  will  have  his  destined  place.  Each  will  oc- 
cupy in  the  life  to  come  exactly  that  position  in  which  he  can 
best  perform  God's  appointed  work. 

Moreover,  we  gather  from  this  Scripture  that  there  is  a  sense  in 
which  every  man's  destinies  are  in  his  own  hands.  It  is  not  by 
an  arbitrary  decree  that  heaven's  highest  places  are  given  away. 
Christ  bestows  them  on  those  for  whom  they  are  prepared  by  the 
Father.  Those  things  which  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard  " 
He  has  prepared  for  those  who  love  Him.  He  has  prepared  them 
for  the  meek  and  humble  in  heart.  He  has  prepared  them  for 
those  who  have  with  the  most  scrupulous  fidelity  borne  the  cross. 
There  is  also  a  sense  in  which  every  man's  future  position  de- 
pends upon  himself.  Each  place  is  regulated  according  to  the 
way  in  which  each  man  has  fitted  himself  for  it.  What  you  are 
here,  that,  by  a  most  righteous  regulation,  you  will  be  hereafter. 
Oh !  let  this  be  our  motive  to  diligence,  that  our  "  labor  is  not  in 
vain  in  the  Lord."  Let  us  not  be  content  with  sowing  little ;  sow 
much,  that  you  may  reap  much.  Every  evil  feeling  tliat  a  Chris- 
tian crushes  is  so  much  increased  power  of  being  happy.  Every 
self-denying  act  that  gives  him  more  of  the  spirit  of  love  is  a 
clear  step  in  blessedness.  The  more  you  learn  here  to  understand 
God,  the  more  you  will  be  able  hereafter  to  enjoy  God.  Every 
light  affliction,  borne  as  a  cross  should  be  borne,  worketh  out  for 


34  The  PJiarisee  and  the  Publican. 

you  a  "far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  Chris- 
tian brethren,  work  done  faithfully  in  Christ  shall  by  no  means 
lose  its  reward. 


III. 

THE   PHARISEE  AND  THE  PUBLICAN. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Oxford,  June  18,  1817. 

"And  he  spake  this  parable  unto  certain  which  trusted  in  themselves  that 
they  were  righteous,  and  despised  others." — Luke  xviii.  9. 

The  subject  of  this  parable  is  the  Beauty  of  Christian  humble- 
ness, and  the  Danger  of  self-satisfaction. 

I.  Beauty  of  Christian  humbleness,  "  lie  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted." 

Humbleness  is  peculiar  to  Christianity.  Goodness  is  admired 
and  taught  in  all  religions.  Bat  to  be  good,  and  feel  that  your 
good  is  nothing ;  to  advance,  and  become  more  conscious  of  pol- 
lution ;  to  ripen  in  all  excellence,  and  like  corn  to  bend  the  head 
when  full  of  ripe  bursting  grain — that  is  Christianity. 

Observe  the  subtle,  insinuating  character  of  pride.  It  creeps  in 
everywhere.  Worldly  pride  is  natural.  But  religious  pride  !  To 
stand  aloof  because  better !  The  idea  of  merit  in  a  thing  that  errs 
every  hour !    This  is  marvellous  ! 

"He  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased."  This  shows  the 
falsity  of  worldly  estimation  :  "  He  that  experiences  self-gratifica- 
tion, and  he  whom  the  world  exalts,  shall  be  abased." 

Here  is  a  Pharisee,  counted  by  his  nation  as  religious.  But 
God  looks  in,  holds  him  up  as  a  beacon,  and  says.  You  are  all 
mistaken.  To  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us,  but  still  more  as  God 
sees  us — be  this  our  prayer.  For  there  is  a  fearful  day  of  rever- 
sal :  "  He  shall  be  abased." 

A  solemn  expression  occurs  among  repeated  denunciations  of 
the  Pharisees :  "  Whited  sepulchres  " — painted  with  color  of  pu- 
rity. There  is  a  false  inscription  :  "  Not  what  he  was,  but  what 
he  seemed  to  be."  Is  there  a  whited  sepulchre  among  us 
now  ? 


The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican,  35 

This  abasement  may  take  place — 

In  life  :  first,  by  discovery.  The  man  is  found  out,  for  he  can- 
not always  stand  apart ;  he  gets  known  in  his  family,  in  business, 
and  in  society. 

Or,  again,  by  a  grievous  fall :  "  Pride  goeth  before  destruction." 
A  thing  wafted  on  high  by  the  wind  comes  down.  It  was  Peter's 
boast,  "Though  I  should  die  with  Thee,  yet  will  I  not  deny 
Thee."  It  is  our  own  experience ;  for  after  what  periods  did  our 
chief  falls  occur  ?  .  .  . 

/?^  the  dying  hour :  man  generally  does  not  die  an  actor.  The 
mask  falls  off.  Man  fronts  reality.  He  is  going  to  stand  before 
God,  not  before  an  ignorant  publican.  Think  of  that,  and  be  self- 
satisfied  if  you  can ! 

Ill  the  judgment-day :  sometimes  strong  delusion  holds  a  man 
fast  on  the  death-bed.  Therefore  abasement  comes  not  till  trial 
by  fire.     Nothing  stands  then  but  gold.     Gilding  will  not  pass. 

II.  Danger  of  self-satisfaction. 

(I.)  Spirit  of  self-satisfaction. 
(II.)  Spirit  of  Christian  penitence. 

(L)  Spirit  of  self-satisfaction.  The  Pharisees,  like  all  sectarians, 
stood  apart.  This  is  the  danger  of  party  spirit.  When  a  congre- 
gation marks  itself  off  from  another  congregation,  when  people 
get  names  —  Evangelicals,  Tractarians,  etc.  —  and  make  all  this 
minister  to  self-complacency,  this  is  Pharisaism. 

And  against  this  Christ's  indignation  was  roused.  Never  did  it 
seem  to  burst  forth  but  when  a  hypocrite,  an  unreal  person,  stood 
before  Ilim.  It  was  like  the  quiet  ocean  stirred  from  its  depths, 
and  the  roar  of  the  surges  telling  out  its  might. 

There  are  certain  marks  exhibited  in  this  Pharisaism : 

1.  Satisfaction  with  negative  goodness.  The  Pharisee  in  the 
parable  enumerates  the  faults  from  which  he  was  free :  he  was  no 
extortioner,  no  adulterer,  nor  yet  unjust.  Like  men  now  on  their 
deatb-beds,  he  was  free  from  glaring  impiety.  Wretched  boast ! 
Not  so  bad  as  you  might  have  been.  A  highwayman  glorying 
that  be  is  not  a  murderer.  Well — few  stripes — less  hot  hell !  Is 
that  any  consolation  ? 

And,  after  all,  extortion,  injustice  —  what  temptation  had  a 
Pharisee  to  commit  them  ?     It  was  a  comprehensible  ground-of 


36  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican. 

boast  for  a  rare  publican.  Government  penal  colonies,  prisons, 
bulks,  are  full  of  tb-e  poor.  Of  course,  bow  could  tbe  ricb  be 
tbere  ?  AVill  tbe  ricb  boast  of  tbat  ?  Or  will  the  poor  boast  tbat 
tbey  are  not  duellists?  Shall  we  boast  of  the  freedom  which 
comes  from  circumstance  ? 

Moreover,  he  was  free  from  adultery.  Well,  there  are  those 
who  are  pure  because  phlegmatic,  and  virtuous  because  constitu- 
tionally cold;  and  they  call  that  virtue  which  is  only  nature. 

They 

"  Compound  for  sins  they  are  inclined  to 
By  damning  those  they  have  no  mind  to." 

2.  Satisfaction  with  external  ceremonial  acts. 

Let  us  do  this  Pharisee  justice.  He  put  in  a  claim  for  some- 
thing done,  as  well  as  something  left  undone :  "  I  fast  twice  in  the 
week ;  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess." 

But  this  was  ceremonial  goodness. 

We  must  distinguish :  moral  goodness  is  goodness  always  and 
everywhere.  Justice,  mercy,  truth,  are  the  same  under  the  tropic 
and  at  the  pole,  in  the  year  4000  before  Christ  and  4000  after 
Christ.  But  ceremonies  are  only  good  at  certain  times  and  under 
certain  circumstances.  Fasting,  if  it  make  a  man  peevish,  is  no 
duty.  Tithes  are  a  way  of  supporting  God's  ministers ;  but  the 
Church  or  the  State  may  provide  another  way,  and  then  tithes 
cease  to  be  duties. 

Now,  observe  why  Pharisaical  men  find  it  easier  to  be  content 
with  ceremonial  observances  than  with  moral  goodness.  They  are 
definite  acts ;  they  can  be  counted.  Twice  a  week  the  ceremony 
is  done.  Go  over  my  fields ;  not  a  tenth  sheath  or  shock  is  left 
standing.  Search  my  stalls;  not  a  tenth  colt  or  calf  is  kept 
back. 

But  moral  goodness  is  more  a  state  of  heart  than  distinct  acts. 
Tak^  the  law  of  love;  you  cannot  at  night  count  up,  and  say  "It 
is  all  done,"  for  love  has  no  number  of  acts. 

3.  Satisfaction  with  self :  tenderness  to  self  coupled  with  sever- 
ity to  others. 

The  Pharisee  judges  from  appearances — "  even  as  this  publi- 
can ;"  yet  his  heart  was  gushing  out  to  God.  We  know  nothing 
of  motives,  nothing  of  temptations :  "  Judge  not,  and  ye  shall  not 
be  judged."     Let  us  learn  to  modify  our  opinions  of  others. 

Moreover,  contempt  shows  and  produces  littleness  of  mind. 


The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican.  37 

"  He  who  feels  contempt 
For  any  living  tiling  hath  facnlties 
That  he  hath  never  used ;  and  thought  with  him 
Is  in  its  infancy." 

He  narrows  Ins  own  heart.    There  is  an  enlarging,  ennobling  pow- 
er in  admiration  of  others,  and  in  making  allowance  for  them. 

In  that  contempt  the  Pharisee  was  doing  more  injury  to  him- 
self than  to  the  publican. 

4.  This  satisfaction  led  to  cant :  "God,  I  thank  Thee  that  I  am 
not  as  other  men  are." 

Religious  people  have  a  way  of  speaking  of  their  past  evil  life 
as  compared  with  the  present,  and  of  referring  all  difficulties  to 
God's  mercy.  This  is  a  subtle  form  of  pride.  It  is  former  self 
sacrificed  at  the  shrine  of  present  self.  It  says,  Admire  me  now. 
And  the  glory  given  to  God  is  but  a  false  show  of  humility,  or  a 
mask  to  admit  features  of  self-praise. 

Consider  what  cant  is.  The  Pharisee  was  not  a  hypocrite  in 
our  sense — a  wilful  deceiver.  In  the  Bible  sense,  a  hypocrite  is  a 
false  character.  How  came  that  ?  Public  admiration  is  given  to 
religion.  We  see  its  beauty ;  we  wish  to  be  admired  as  we  ad- 
mire. Now  there  is  a  danger  of  imitating  what  is  admired.  Hence 
upturned  eyes,  demure  looks,  peculiar  tone,  slang  phrases.  This 
is  cant. 

Be  natural ;  clear  your  mind  of  cant ;  avoid  phrases  of  a  party, 
even  Bible  phrases.  Have  no  phylacteries,  which  show  that  a  man 
is  bidding  for  a  character. 

Be  religious.     Be  not  anxious  to  8eem  so. 

5.  This  satisfaction  led,  moreover,  to  the  fluency  of  his  prayer. 
It  Avas  preaching  to  God,  not  praying.    Well  divided,  accurate, 

regular,  fluent. 

"  God  is  in  heaven,  and  thou  upon  earth ;  therefore  let  thy  words 
be  few."  To  men  we  use  rhetoric,  eloquence,  because  they  are 
influenced  by  it.  To  God  we  use  the  simplest,  shortest  words  we 
can  find,  because  eloquence  is  only  air  and  noise  to  Him. 

What  people  call  fluency  and  the  gift  of  prayer  is  often  delu- 
sive ;  it  is  mere  excitement  from  the  presence  of  others,  and  from 
the  sound  of  our  own  voice.  Spiritual  emotion  and  external  emo- 
tion are  often  hardly  distinguishable. 

AVhat  are  our  prayers — the  language  of  a  full  heart  or  of  a  full 
lip? 


38  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican, 

(II.)  Spirit  of  religious  penitence  :  "  The  publican,  standing  afar 
off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  to  heaven,  but  smote 
upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

The  publicans  were  not  tax-gatherers  simply,  but  farmers  of 
the  imperial  revenue.  They  paid  a  certain  sum  to  government, 
and  reimbursed  themselves.  Hence  the  opportunity  to  oppress, 
to  threaten  with  action,  and  to  extort  by  fear.  Consequently  the 
profession  became  disreputable ;  and  its  disrepute  made  the  de- 
spised men  worse.  Call  a  child  perpetually  a  dunce,  he  will  be- 
come stupid.  Destroy  self-respect  in  a  man,  he  will  become  what 
he  is  thought. 

Moreover,  it  was  a  low  standing,  and  men  were  satisfied  where 
all  was  bad.  AVe  see  this  was  almost  inevitable  when  we  consider 
the  publican's  temptations ;  his  exclusion  from  common  hope ; 
his  likelihood  to  make  the  most  of  what  little  goodness  he  had. 

And  yet  we  see  a  sense  of  guilt :  "  Me  a  sinner." 

Remark,  there  is  no  specifying:  not,  last  week  I  injured  a  man ; 
yesterday  I  terrified  by  a  threat;  last  night  I  was  in  riotous  society. 
Conviction  of  sin  cannot  stop  to  enumerate  acts.  The  whole  state 
of  heart  seems  radically  diseased.  Like  a  wound  in  battle,  you 
sicken  over  it.  Let  the  anatomist  care  to  discuss  what  nerves  are 
contused  and  what  veins  severed ;  you  cover  it  up,  and  look  away : 
"  I  am  wounded."     So  with  the  over-sensitive  conscience. 

And  a  plea  for  mercy :  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

Under  the  law  recollection  of  sin  makes  men  worse.  We  live 
under  law  when  we  merely  remember  condemnation,  duty,  and 
transo-ression  ;  when  remorse  and  shame  are  the  sole  feelino-s. 
Then  we  become  degraded  in  our  own  eyes,  and  feel  helpless; 
and  remorse  only  prepares  for  fresh  failure.  No  element  of  hope 
finds  a  place  under  law. 

To  live  under  the  Gospel  is  to  understand  God's  love  in  Christ ; 
to  trust,  to  know  that  bygone  guilt  is  buried  in  blood ;  to  believe 
in  remission  of  the  sins  that  are  past.  This,  and  only  this,  makes 
past  guilt  a  stepping-stone  to  future  strength.  Humble,  tender, 
broken  feeling,  and  withal  loving  too. 

And  confession  :  "  To  me  a  sinner." 

Confession  is  the  appointed  power  to  relieve  the  burden  of  sin. 

Confession  does  this  because  it  gives  the  feeling  of  sincerity. 
We  abjure  our  fault,  we  say  to  God,  "  It  is  not  mine,  I  disown  it ; 
it  is  not  I,  but  sin  that  worketh  in  me."     My  whole  nature  casts 


The  Christian  s  Hope  and  Destiny  Hereafter.        39 

it  out  with  throes  and  convulsions,  as  my  flesh  expels  a  foreign 
substance  lodged  in  it — a  thorn,  a  needle,  with  swelling  and  in- 
flammation. 

There  is  ease  when  we  are  rid  of  it.  Observe,  moreover,  the 
instantaneousness  of  relief:  "  He  went  down  to  his  house  justified." 

Sinner !  go  and  confess  at  once. 


IV. 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE  AND  DESTINY  HEREAFTER. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Oxford,  June  20,  1847. 

*' Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what 
we  shall  be  :  but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  hke  him  ; 
for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." — 1  John  iii.  2,  3. 

The  peculiarity  of  John's  character  was  love. 

He  was  more  familiar  with  Christ  than  the  other  disciples ;  he 
had  lain  in  His  bosom.  Hence  he  was  more  like  Christ.  He  had 
drunk  in  his  Master's  looks,  tones,  character,  way  of  thought,  and 
form  of  speech.  In  his  writings  he  is  short  and  sententious ;  not 
arguing,  but  glancing  down  into  the  very  heart  of  truth. 

More  than  any  man  he  was  capable  of  judging  what  is  meant 
by  two  expressions  here  used — "  We  shall  be  like  Him  ;"  "  We 
shall  see  Him  as  He  is."  For  he  was  like  Him  ;  he  had  seen  Him 
as  He  was  ;^  to  him  He  had  been  unbosomed  without  disguise. 

John  can  tell  us  what  heaven  is,  and  what  spiritual  life  is.  For 
every  w^ord  of  his  shows  that  he  considered  it  a  thing  of  unuttera- 
ble blessedness  to  be  a  Christian,  and  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
look  beyond  the  grave  as  to  a  thing  not  dark,  to  regard  it  as  full  of 
grandeur,  beyond  what  the  wildest  imagination  of  man  can  picture. 

We  consider — the  Christian's  hope  and  destiny  hereafter. 

The  Christian's  hope  and  destiny  hereafter  is  partly  mysteri- 
ous :  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."  It  is  partly  cer- 
tain :  "  We  know  that  when  He  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  Him." 

I.  The  mystery  of  future  existence :  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be." 


40       The  Christiatis  Hope  and  Destiny  Hereafter, 

The  mystery  of  future  existence  arises  from  three  causes. 

1.  Our  ignorance  of  the  mode  of  existence. 

There  are  two  states  to  come — a  state  without  our  bodies,  and 
a  state  with  what  is  called  a  "  spiritual  body." 

Here  all  sensations  are  connected  with  organized  form.  The 
beauty  of  this  world,  and  of  music,  give  sensations  which  plunge 
us  into  the  infinite.  But  try  to  imagine  that  which  is  called  "I" 
disembodied,  existing  apart  from  form  !  You  cannot.  A  strange, 
lonely  sensation  of  awe  steals  over  us  even  in  the  attempt  to  real- 
ize "  what  we  shall  be." 

Then  consider  the  "spiritual  body."  Powers  existing  now 
only  in  rudiment  shall  then  be  fully  developed.  How  unlike  the 
oak  is  to  the  acorn !  Yet  the  oak  was  in  the  acorn.  Who  could 
look  at  the  acorn  and  form  the  wildest  fancy  of  what  the  oak 
will  be  ?  Who  conceive  how  earthly  bodies  will  develop  into 
spiritual  bodies? 

2.  It  is  inconceivable  what  our  feelings  shall  be. 

All  life  here  is  associated  with  persons,  relatives,  home ;  there 
they  "neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage."  Relatives  are 
for  temporary  purposes.  There,  husband,  father,  wife,  and  children 
meet  not  as  relations. 

That  state  we  cannot  conceive  now ;  nay,  we  ought  not  to  try. 
A  union  with  God  so  close  as  to  dissolve  all  other  unions  would 
be  inconceivable  to  us. 

Therefore  "  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be." 

3.  The  place  of  that  existence  is  inconceivable. 

What  is  heaven — a  place  or  a  state  ?  Where — what  ?  "  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard ;  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive  the  things  God  hath  prepared." 

Glory :  what  is  it  ?  Not  brilliant  light ;  not  the  little  drop  which 
men  call  fame ;  not  shouts,  nor  processions,  nor  the  homage  of 
the  multitude. 

Heaven  must  be  a  state — a  state  of  internal  happiness.  But 
there  will  also  be  external  objects ;  for  we  read  of  floods  of  melody 
from  everlasting  harps,  of  temples  of  gorgeous  magnificence. 

In  describing  all  this,  Scripture  speaks  of  things  appreciable  by 
the  senses ;  for  imagination  paints  this  in  vain — we  do  not  under- 
stand it.  Let  us  take  two  illustrations.  A  seaman  strains  through 
the  evening  fog  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  land ;  just  as  he  makes  out 
the  outline,  dim  and  vague,  his  eyes  water,  and  all  is  dark.     Or 


Tlie  C Jiristian  s  Hope  and  Destiny  Hereafter.       41 

you  lie  on  your  back  on  a  summer's  day,  straining  into  that  quiv- 
ering, trembling  mass  of  blue.  ...  So  with  that  "  undiscovered 
country,"  we  strain  till  the  mind  is  lost  and  dizzy.  Again,  con- 
sider the  infant  unborn.  Its  future  state  is  inconceivable.  Even 
light,  the  life  and  expounder  of  all  things,  is  unknown.  Now  tUu 
life  is  the  state  of  human  babyhood.     Life  here  is  infancy. 

II.  The  certainty  in  future  existence. 

Consider  that  part  of  our  future  destiny  which  we  do  know : 
"  We  know  that  when  He  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  llim,  for 
we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 

St.  John  gives  two  characteristics  of  our  future  destiny — resem- 
blance to  God :  "  We  shall  be  like  Him  ;"  and  a  clearer  vision  of 
Him :  "  We  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 

1.  Resemblance  to  God — what  is  it? 

God  is  the  Fountain  of  Light  and  Wisdom.  To  be  like  God  is 
to  become  wise,  to  gain  mastery  of  intellect,  to  become  less  mate- 
rial and  more  purely  things  of  mind ;  to  have  our  darkness  rolled 
away — the  darkness  of  superstition,  of  ignorance,  of  evil — and  to 
"  walk  in  the  light,  as  He  is  in  the  light." 

"  God  is  Love."  To  be  like  God  is  to  love  goodness,  purity, 
truth.  "  If  we  love  one  another,  God  dwelleth  in  us."  And  now 
understand  what  love  is.  Take  no  earthly  notions  of  weak,  fool- 
ish fondness.  Love  is  unselfishness ;  it  is  the  power  of  sympathy 
to  "  rejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice,  and  to  weep  with  them  that 
weep ;"  it  is  to  have  something  of  that  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which 
led  Christ  to  lay  down  His  life  for  us ;  it  is  to  feel  that  all  powers 
are  given  us  to  make  others  happy,  and  to  be  contriving  forever 
happiness  for  others — that  is  to  be  like  God. 

God  is  Serenity.  Christ  the  "  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever." Often  have  I  felt,  when  fevered  by  earthly  excitement  and 
ruffled  by  earthly  difficulties,  as  I  looked  up  to  the  expanse  of 
heaven  above  in  the  pure,  still  moonshine,  that  it  was  an  emblem 
of  God's  unchanging  calmness,  rebuking  the  tumult  within,  and 
saying  to  the  storm,  "  Peace,  be  still."  Beneath  that  sky  nations 
have  maddened ;  ages  upon  ages  there  have  been  war,  misery,  evil 
passions ;  but  the  sky  is  there,  as  calm  as  when  it  looked  down 
on  Adam  in  his  innocence.  There  sits  God,  enthroned  in  Ilis 
everlasting  calmness,  with  no  agitation  of  emotions  in  Ilim.  To 
approach  this  state  is  to  be  like  God.    The  more  serene  a  man  be 


42        TJie  Christian  s  Hope  and  Destiny  Hereafter, 

— the  more  incapable  of  being  ruffled  and  agitated  by  outward 
circumstances,  looking  on  tlie  universe  as  God  does — the  more 
nearly  does  he  resemble  God.  And  what  is  heaven  ?  "  There  re- 
maineth  a  rest  for  the  people  of  God." 

But  an  objection  arises :  you  will  say,  How  can  we  be  all  that 
— like  God?  He  is  the  Creator,  we  the  created;  He  infinite,  we 
finite.  To  this  I  answer,  There  is  that  within  you,  even  now, 
which  tells  that  you  may  be  like  Him.  There  is  something  infi- 
nite in  man.  There  is  a  human  grandeur  in  the  meanest  here 
to-day. 

The  infinite  character  of  the  soul  of  man  is  proved  by — 

The  capacity  of  remorse,  and  the  anguish  of  guilt. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  fear.  There  is  the  fear  of  pain,  a  base 
fear,  shared  with  the  lower  animals.  You  can  keep  a  dog  in  order 
by  fear  of  the  lash.  But  the  fear  of  polluting  one's  own  heart,  of 
darkening  a  light  brighter  than  the  sun — to  possess  a  mind  which 
dreads  to  wrong  and  betray  and  destroy  itself — only  man  feels  that. 

And,  oh,  the  unutterable  anguish  of  a  soul  that  is  conscious  of 
having  degraded  itself !  It  is  a  foretaste  of  the  worm  that  never 
dieth.  A  noble  mind  fears  that ;  and  the  nobler  the  mind,  the 
keener  the  suffering.  That  is  a  proof  of  infinite  majesty  still  re- 
maining. A  spirit  that  is  capable  of  infinite  misery  is  capable  of 
receiving  the  infinitude  of  goodness. 

Let  us  take  as  another  proof  of  man's  infinitude  the  examples 
of  noble  character  of  which  we  read  in  history,  and  also  our  own 
feelings  in  our  better  moments. 

It  is  no  dream,  such  men  have  been  as  Moses,  Isaiah,  Paul.  Pa- 
triots— men  who,  while  on  earth,  proclaimed  the  grandeur  of  their 
origin,  and  showed  the  divinity  within  them,  by  their  pure  and  in- 
corruptible public  spirit — men  such  as  Fabricius.  Martyrs — men 
the  energy  of  whose  indomitable  will  the  universe  conld  not  sub- 
due. There  they  stood,  the  world  against  them.  The  tyrant 
crushed  and  mangled  the  body  of  Anaxagoras;  he  could  not  dis- 
turb the  deep  rest  of  the  hero's  soul.  The  fire  crackled  in  their 
limbs;  but  their  last  look  upward,  till  the  eye  shrivelled  in  its 
socket,  proclaimed  the  feeling  that  God  was  near  and  in  them. 
Was  this  a  boundless  or  a  finite  nature  ? 

Is  it  in  books  only  that  I  have  read  of  goodness,  generosity,  un- 
selfishness ?  Nay,  in  human  common  life,  in  loving  looks,  in  gen- 
tle words! 


TJie  Christian  s  Hope  and  Destiny  Hereafter.       43 

Meanest  here !  Have  you  never  felt  the  stirrings  of  the  God 
within  you?  Only  now  and  then?  Yes,  but  one  glimpse  of  blue 
shy  is  enough  as  proof.  See  one  gleam  of  the  celestial  behind 
the  clouds  of  selfishness,  and  the  possibility  of  likeness  to  God  is 
proved. 

Let  us  take  another  proof :  Man's  love  of  the  sublime. 

The  heavens,  the  ocean,  the  rush  of  wind,  the  tempest,  all  wake 
in  our  hearts  a  strange  enjoyment,  but  make  the  cattle  tremble. 
What  is  the  source  of  that  proud  feeling  of  ecstasy  which  makes 
man's  spirit  rise  with  the  storm  ?  It  answers  to  the  Infinite  with- 
in him. 

Montgomery's  child  was  discovered  by  his  lying  down  in  a 
splendid  bed.  The  son  hears  the  voice  of  his  father's  home,  and 
it  has  sounds  that  his  spirit  understands. 

Never  say  that  the  being  who  feels  all  this  cannot  become  like 
God. 

Now,  Christ  came  to  elevate  all  this.  .  .  . 

2.  A  clearer  vision  of  God :  "  We  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 

What  is  meant  by  seeing  God  ?  You  will  never  see  God  as  form 
and  color.  God  is  the  spirit  of  beauty  in  nature  at  this  season  of 
the  year,  the  spirit  which  makes  all  glow  and  burst  with  life ;  the 
spirit  which  guides  sailing  clouds  and  far-glittering  star.  Never 
can  you  see  that  with  eyesight. 

To  see  a  thing  is  to  comprehend  its  nature.  "  x\s  He  is,"  not 
deceptively  :  in  His  real,  not  distorted,  nature. 

The  ship  in  a  fog,  the  fish  in  the  water,  are  not  seen  as  they  are. 

Remove  all  impediments  of  sin  and  selfishness ;  take  ofE  the  film 
from  your  eye,  then  you  shall  see  God  when  His  character  shines 
as  it  really  is.  For  example,  this  world  seems  evil ;  goodness — 
wisdom — all  seems  wrong.  The  ship  is  hideous,  spectral,  through 
the  fog.  To  feel  it  all  right — to  see  wisdom  and  goodness — that 
is  to  see  God.  Or,  again,  God  seems  your  enemy — all  wrath.  This 
is  a  distorted  view,  like  a  crooked  stick.  Sec  Him  as  love  in 
Christ,  then  you  see  God.  John  saw  Christ  as  He  was,  the  Gad- 
arenes  did  not. 

Now  observe  the  connection  between  likeness  to  God  and  see- 
ino-  God.  Mark  the  apostle's  argument:  No  man  can  see  God  as 
He  really  is  unless  he  resemble  Him  in  character. 

So  in  earthly  life,  to  understand  a  public  character  such  as  a 
prime-minister,  for  example,  and  his  measures,  you  must  be  on  his 


44  National  Education. 

side  at  least,  and  hold  his  opinions.  Would  you  ask  one  of  his 
political  opponents  for  his  character  ?  Tell  of  his  eloquent  speech 
— all  for  effect ;  his  wise  measures — oh,  love  of  fame ;  his  generous 
patriotism — all  cant. 

So  also  in  common  life.  An  evil  man  cannot  appreciate,  or 
even  see,  a  good  man.  The  spiritual  man  is  discerned  by  no 
man.  The  world  suspects  a  sinister  motive ;  will  not  believe  in 
disinterestedness.  Mark  their  sneer ;  listen  to  their  insinuations ; 
observe  their  contemptuous  scepticism  about  human  goodness. 

And  so  with  God.  To  see  God,  you  must  first  be  like  Ilim. 
You  see  Him,  feel  Him,  believe  in  His  existence,  just  in  propor- 
tion as  you  resemble  Him  in  goodness.  You  have  the  witness  in 
yourself.  "  We  shall  be  like  Him,  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 


NATIONAL  EDUCATION— CHARACTER  OF  MOSES. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Oxford,  June  27,  1847. 

*'In  which  time  Moses  was  born,  and  was  exceeding  fair,  and  nourished 
up  in  his  father's  house  three  months :  and  when  he  was  cast  out,  Pharaoh's 
daughter  took  liim  up,  and  nourished  him  for  her  own  son.  And  Moses  was 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  and  was  mighty  in  words  and  in 
deeds."— Acts  vii.  20-22. 

The  subject  of  national  education  has  of  late  years  become  fa- 
miliar to  us  in  pamphlets,  newspapers,  sermons,  parliamentary 
speeches,  conversation.  "The  people  must  be  educated" — this  is 
the  echo.  Yet,  with  all  this  popularity,  it  is  uncertain  whether  w^e 
adequately  understand  what  education  means ;  and  whether,  with 
all  this  praise  of  knowledge,  knowledge  is  loved  for  its  own  sake, 
or  only  for  what  it  brings — loved  because  talent  is  admired,  and 
knowledge  helps  in  life. 

It  is  my  intention  to  put  forward  hints  to  be  worked  out  by 
yourselves.  My  way  of  investigation  is,  to  take  the  life  of  a  man 
highly  and  completely  educated ;  and  so  make  the  subject  a  real 
one.  A  chief  personage  in  Scripture,  Moses,  stands  at  the  head  of 
a  dispensation. 


Character  of  Moses.  45 

Oar  subject  divides  itself  into  two  branches : 

I.  The  education  of  the  lawgiver  of  Israel. 

II.  The  results  of  that  education. 

I.  The  education  of  Moses. 

1.  He  was  instructed  by  strangers. 

Pharaoh's  daughter  found  him  in  the  Nile,  and  had  him  taught 
Egyptian  learning  at  her  own  expense.  So  far  this  is  a  parallel  to 
the  education  of  children  in  schools  by  strangers.  Instruction  by 
parents  is  not  always  possible,  because  of  their  incapacity,  igno- 
rance, poverty,  and  labor.  Moses'  parents  were  crushed  down  by 
the  laws  of  Egypt.  Therefore  education  must  partly  be  the  work 
of  strangers. 

Observe,  God  appointed  a  princess  to  instruct  Moses,  as  if  to 
honor  the  teacher's  office.  There  are  great  mistakes  on  this  point. 
People  say,  Any  man  will  do.  But  your  w\atch-spring  is  broken 
— do  you  give  it  to  a  blacksmith  ?  Its  wheels  are  deranged — do 
you  confide  it  to  a  Avheelwright  ?  No,  it  is  too  delicate.  Can  a 
common  mind  guide  that  delicate,  ethereal,  mysterious  thing — a 
child's  soul  ?  We  must  understand  human  nature,  read  hearts. 
We  want  first-rate  men. 

Miserable  economy  in  parents !  The  poor  grudging  one  penny 
per  week.  Esau  sold  his  birthright  for  a  morsel  of  meat ;  you 
weigh  your  child's  mind  and  soul  against  copper!  The  rich 
spending  on  accomplishments  and  grudging  the  teacher.  Alas ! 
we  do  not  estimate  the  teacher.  We  measure  his  services  grudg- 
ingly, and  we  must  for  want  of  funds. 

Consider  the  influence  of  teachers.  Thirty-five  hundred  years 
ago  an  Egyptian  princess  took  a  poor  man's  child  and  taught  it. 
The  result  of  that  education  is  not  over  yet.  A  thousand  thousand 
Jews  reverence  the  laws  that  child  made.  The  nation  he  formed 
and  freed  lives  on.  Compare  the  influence  of  Pharaoh's  daughter 
with  that  of  Pharaoh  himself.  He  ruled  an  empire.  Pyramids 
could  rise  at  his  bidding.  His  skeleton  is  in  some  pyramid. 
Nothing  else  remains !  To  rule  in  a  single  heart,  to  form  and 
guide  a  child's  mind,  is  greater  than  the  grandest  sway.  I  say  it 
calmly,  the  teacher  is  greater  than  the  king.  The  king  rules  with- 
out, the  teacher  within.  It  is  the  influence  that  is  deep  compared 
with  the  influence  that  is  widely  spread  in  glory,  glitter,  and  noise. 
Whether  is  greater,  to  educate  a  child  or  to  rule  a  state?     Let  it 


46  National  Ediicatioji. 

be  tried  by  tlie  test  of  blessing  your  fellow-creatures.  Here  is  a 
man  perched  up  on  liigli,  dressed  in  a  little  brief  authority,  with 
fingers  pointing :  That  is  he !  And  here  is  Christ  with  children 
round  Him  :  "  He  took  them  up  in  His  arms,  put  His  hands  upon 
them,  and  blessed  them." 

2.  He  was  under  home  influences. 

By  a  merciful  arrangement,  Moses'  early  years  were  not  entirely 
superintended  by  Pharaoh's  daughter.  His  mother  nursed  him. 
Pharaoh's  daughter  gave  him  instruction,  his  mother  educa- 
tion. 

There  are  mistaken  notions  on  this  point.  People  think  edu- 
cation to  be  reading,  writing,  ciphering ;  loading  the  memory 
with  information,  and  making  preparation  for  a  trade  or  profes- 
sion. You  may  do  all  this  to  make  your  child  an  expert  account- 
ant or  a  good  engineer;  you  may  infuse  knowledge,  and  useful 
knowledge,  such  as  geography  and  literature,  to  enable  him  to 
earn  his  bread.  Well,  is  that  all  ?  Nay,  it  is  only  the  wisdom  of 
Egypt. 

We  must  distinguish  between  education  and  instruction.  Edu- 
cation is  to  unfold  nature ;  to  strengthen  good  and  conquer  evil ; 
to  give  self-help ;  to  make  a  man.  To  draw  out  the  affections,  we 
must  cultivate  the  heart.  To  awaken  great  ideas  we  must  gener- 
ate the  spirit  of  freedom.     To  direct  the  soul  to  God.  .  .  . 

The  teacher  cannot  do  this.  Books  cannot  infuse  religion  ;  the 
catechism  cannot. 

You  want  influence  bearing  on  the  heart. 

Now,  influence  is  given  at  home.  It  is  God's  plan.  He  gives 
the  father  to  impart  strength  of  will,  and  the  mother  tenderness 
of  affection. 

Moses  owed  his  lawgiving,  his  politics,  his  wisdom,  his  power 
of  governing,  to  the  Egyptian  princess ;  his  religion  he  owed  to 
Jochebed. 

Jochebed  —  that  woman  of  poverty  and  toil ;  her  hands  black 
Avith  brickmaking ;  bred  in  ignorance  and  crushed  down.  Joche- 
bed, that  woman  of  faith,  whom  love  to  God  enabled  to  disobey 
the  laws  of  Egypt.  Mothers,  know  your  v/ork !  You  stand  at 
the  fountain-head.  God  has  given  you  the  destinies  of  the  world. 
All  great  men  had  mothers  high-minded.  Our  school?  fail  for 
want  of  mothers  and  home  influences.  When  your  child  leaves 
school  he  has  got  instruction  ;  what  he  wants  is  education. 


Character  of  Moses.  47 

3.  He  was  disciplined  by  circumstances. 

Pharaoh's  daughter  had  done  something,  and  Moses'  mother 
something,  for  the  child.  But  to  make  him  the  man  he  was, 
other  things  beyond  man's  control  contributed. 

He  belonged  to  an  oppressed  nation :  hence  his  patriotism — 
that  deep,  long  devotion  to  one  vast  cause  which  can  only  be  felt 
in  such  circumstances. 

He  was  a  banished  man  :  hence  his  sympathy  with  the  crushed. 

He  was  a  long  time  in  the  solitary  desert :  hence  his  depth 
and  solemnity  of  character. 

He  travelled  much :  hence  his  knowledge  of  the  w^orld  and 
man,  and  his  enlarged  views. 

But  he  needed  some  sudden  impulse.  It  came  in  the  burning 
bush,  which  at  the  age  of  eighty  fixed  his  destiny,  and  spurred 
him  on  to  a  new  life.  The  man  of  learning,  the  man  of  con- 
templation, became  the  man  of  public  action. 

Observe,  therefore,  in  the  first  place,  education  goes  on  through 
life.  After  he  left  Egypt  and  homo,  his  development  continued. 
Parents  and  teachers  alone  do  not  educate  a  child.  He  is  given 
to  the  universe.  All  life  contributes.  The  aspects  of  nature — 
summer  and  winter,  bright  spring  and  sad  autumn,  day  and  night, 
with  their  thousand  sensations. 

The  lot  of  many  is  poverty,  with  struggling,  scrambling  life : 
hence  their  hardness  of  character.  It  is  often  the  lot  of  the  or- 
phan :  hence  may  spring  self-help ;  or,  if  the  disposition  be  weak, 
bad  habits.  Riches  may  stunt  the  child's  moral  growth,  and  pro- 
duce, in  spite  of  expensive  education,  only  indolence  of  character. 

Again,  we  are  disciplined  by  public  circumstances.  We  live  in 
time  of  war  or  of  peace,  during  a  revolution,  or  in  an  age  of 
trade,  science,  and  philosophy.  All  this  disciplines  the  character. 
Therefore  education  does  not  end  with  the  schoolroom.  We  talk 
of  "finished  education!"  Education  only  ends  when  a  man  is 
in  his  winding-sheet.  The  best  teacher  is  he  who  sends  forth 
children  not  only  with  great  attainments,  but  convinced  that  edu- 
cation is  the  work  of  life,  and  resolved  to  improve  themselves. 
It  may  be  said,  "  If  circumstances  thwart  education,  and  form 
character,  why  educate  at  all  ?  Great  minds  have  risen  without 
education."  Yet  observe  ;  education  is  useful  to  call  forth  power 
to  grapple  with  and  modify  circumstances.  Trees  on  the  sea-coast 
or  in  stony  soil  are  thwarted,  yet  they  may  be  pushed  by  agri- 


48  National  Education. 

culture.  The  best  agriculture  is  in  Scotland,  wlncli  has  but  a 
poor  soiL 

Observe,  in  the  second  place,  education  is  God's  work,  for  cir- 
cumstances come  from  God.  Teaching  cannot  do  all ;  we  must 
look  for  fruit  to  God.  We  must  wait  for  our  best  impulses, 
which  come  like  a  flash,  unexpectedly  :  "  The  wind  bloweth  where 
it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell 
whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth :  so  is  every  one  that  is 
born  of  the  Spirit."  Look  back  upon  our  past  lives ;  what  gov- 
erned our  most  remarkable  moments  and  alterations  in  character  ? 
Not  systematic  education,  but  some  impression  like  that  of  Moses 
in  the  wilderness,  that  looked  like  chance ;  an  impression  from 
some  great  kindled  soul  which  expands  hearts ;  or  an  old  truth 
forcibly  put.  Our  grand  ideas  and  alterations  of  character  come 
we  know  not  how  or  why.  They  come  as  glimpses,  or  as  sug- 
gestions. And  for  this  the  simple  life  like  that  of  Moses  in  the 
wilderness  is  most  favorable. 

Teaching  the  catechism  does  not  impart  religion.  You  want 
God's  voice.  The  flash  from  above ;  the  bush  in  the  wilderness 
set  on  fire  without  human  agency. 

Review  what  education  is.  Formation  of  character — Develop- 
ment of  the  entire  man — To  put  man  in  possession  of  self. 

II.  Results  of  Moses'  education. 

(I.)  On  his  own  character. 

(11.)  On  his  nation  and  on  the  world. 

(I.)  The  result  on  his  own  character  was  twofold,  mental  and 
moral. 

1.  Mentally,  it  gave  him  the  habit  of  inquiry.  He  turns  aside 
"  to  see  this  great  sight  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt."  Other  men 
would  have  simply  seen  the  bush  on  fire ;  Moses  remarks  the  sin- 
gular phenomenon. 

The  first  thino:  in  education  is  to  encourao-e  a  habit  of  observa- 
tion  and  inquiry.  When  your  child  asks,  "  What  is  the  use  of 
this?  why  is  that?"  don't  call  it  troublesome.  The  best  educa- 
tion is  that  which  is  the  answer  to  our  own  inquiries.  Cultivate 
the  habit  of  asking  "  Why  ?"  But,  observe,  not  "  why  "  in  duty. 
"Why"  in  phenomena  of  nature  and  art  is  the  acknowledgment 
of  ignorance ;  "  why "  in  practical  duties  is  the  boast  of  pre- 
sumption. 


C liar  act  cr  of  Moses.  49 

2.  Morally,  it  gave  him  boldness  and  tenderness.  Many  men 
are  bold,  yet  tyrannical  witlial ;  many  tender,  yet  effeminate  and 
weak.     The  perfect  character  joins  both. 

Observe  Moses  when  his  fellow-countryman  is  injured — one  mo- 
ment more,  and  the  Egyptian  is  in  his  own  blood  at  Moses'  feet. 
AYild,  irregular  justice  was  permissible  in  those  wild  times,  when 
there  was  no  legal  redress  to  be  had. 

Again,  observe  him  in  defence  of  Jethro's  daughters  at  the  well. 
He  is  ever  the  champion  of  the  oppressed.  The  shepherds  drive 
the  women  away.  Moses  says,  "  Not  so  ;  this  is  God's  well ;  you 
shall  not  have  it.  By  the  law  of  the  Most  High  God  might  is 
not  right.     I  stand  one  man  against  you  all." 

High  and  noble  spirit ! 

But,  now,  was  this  tyranny  ?  Nay.  Moses  was  no  quarrelsome 
person,  no  seeker-out  of  brawls.  Witness  his  attempt  at  peace- 
making :  "  Sirs,  ye  are  brethren ;  why  do  ye  wrong  one  to  an- 
other?" 

This  is  a  noble  disposition  ;  to  be  firm,  daring,  true,  a  man  that 
can't  be  put  down  in  the  cause  of  right ;  yet,  at  the  same  time, 
tender,  gentle,  loving. 

3.  But  Moses  was  more.  He  was  mentally  great,  morally  good; 
but,  besides,  Moses  was  religious. 

This  is  shown  in  his  reverence  :  he  takes  off  his  shoes  in  hum- 
ble adoration. 

In  obedience :  God  says  he  is  to  go  before  Pharaoh,  and  God's 
will  is  law;  he  will  brave  the  angry  king. 

In  meekness :  he  was  humble  as  a  child ;  a  deeply  gifted  man, 
but  self-distrustful;  "very  meek  above  all  men  who  were  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth." 

A  beautiful  thing  it  is  to  see  all  excellencies  crowned  by  re- 
ligion. 

And  now  remember  all  this  was  the  effect  of  education.  This 
is  what  we  mean  by  education :  it  is  to  produce  mental  power, 
moral  worth,  and  religious  character. 

(11.)  The  public  results  of  Moses'  education  ;  that  is,  its  results 
on  his  nation  and  on  the  world. 

The  result  on  his  own  nation  was  chiefly  the  elevation  of  the 
laboring  classes. 

Let  us  describe  the  political  degradation  of  Israel.    There  Avcre 

3 


50  National  Education, 

two  classes  in  society,  a  ruling  and  a  ruled.  In  all  ages  tliere  is 
something  similar;  but  in  this  case  it  was  not  the  question  be- 
tween rich  and  poor,  but  between  superior  and  inferior  nations, 
like  that  between  the  whites  and  the  blacks  in  slave  countries. 
The  Egyptian  policy  was  to  keep  the  Israelites  down,  to  refuse 
them  educational  and  political  privileges,  to  prevent  their  increase 
of  population.  And  the  task  of  Moses  was  the  emancipation  of 
his  people. 

So  is  that  of  every  Christian.  Let  us  define  what  we  mean  by 
the  education  and  elevation  of  the  laboring  classes.  It  is  not  to 
exempt  them  from  toil ;  this  w^re  no  blessing.  Labor  is  a  bless- 
ing. The  rich  would  be  happier  if  they  were  forced  to  spend 
some  hours  each  day  in  manual  toil.  Labor  brings  out  strength 
of  character.  A  world  where  all  was  rest  would  make  the  human 
race  degraded.  Neither  is  it  to  introduce  them  into  society,  for 
there  is  the  misery  of  fashionable  life.  It  is  not  to  break  down 
classes.  Christianity  levels ;  education  levels ;  but  they  level  up. 
Mistaken  men  would  level  down.  Elevation  of  the  poor  is  to 
give  them  moral  and  religions  worth  ;  to  strengthen  their  minds; 
to  raise  them  above  the  almost  brute  life  they  lead  to  the  higher 
life  of  the  spirit ;  to  make  them  men ;  to  make  them  like  the 
Israelites,  free.  But  observe,  free  from  their  own  selves,  the  worst 
of  all  tyranny.  "  He  is  a  freeman  whom  the  truth  makes  free." 
Had  Moses  freed  Israel  and  given  them  no  education  and  no  re- 
ligion, it  would  have  been  but  a  poor  boon. 

And  now  observe.  Egyptian  policy  prevented  all  this.  The 
wisdom  of  Egypt  would  have  been  to  say,  "  These  Israelites  are  a 
great  people ;  let  us  treat  them  as  brothers.  Let  us  so  treat  them 
that  their  inventions, their  skill,  their  labor,  shall  be  shared  by  us; 
so  that  when  Egypt  is  invaded  they,  feeling  it  their  home,  may 
fight  side  by  side  with  us,  the  Israelite  and  the  Egyptian,  for  a 
common  country."  They  did  not  do  this ;  therefore,  at  last,  by- 
apparent  chance,  the  Israelites  got  intelligence,  they  got  numbers, 
and  they  learned  their  power.  They  said,  "We  will  be  free." 
Egypt  might  have  raised  them  gradually.  Eaised  suddenly,  a  rev- 
olution was  the  consequence.  The  hosts  of  Egypt  were  buried  in  the 
Red  Sea  as  the  result  of  their  own  infatuated  policy ;  just  because 
they  would  not  give  Israel's  lower  classes  a  national  education. 

There  might  have  been  a  pyramid  erected  on  the  shore  with 
this  inscription  :  "  Here  lies  a  nation  which  perished  because  .  .  ." 


CJmractcr  of  Moses.  5 1 

Let  us  say  a  few  words  of  application.  Thank  God,  the  time 
has  passed  when  English  policy  was  the  policy  of  Egypt.  Fifty 
years  ago  the  insane  cry  was  raised,  "  The  people  must  not  be 
educated  because  it  will  unfit  them  for  their  station,  and  teach 
them  to  cope  with  us."  Thank  God,  the  echo  of  that  cry  has 
died  away. 

Egypt's  sovereign  said,  "  The  people  shall  be  crushed  down." 
A  voice  from  England's  throne  has  said,  "  My  people  shall  be  in- 
structed." Egyptian  aristocracy  sided  with  their  sovereign.  The 
horsemen  who  perished  with  their  chariots  in  the  Red  Sea  wave 
sided  with  their  sovereign,  and  would  have  kept  the  Israelites 
slaves.  And  English  aristocracy  have  also  sided  with  their  sov- 
ereign. I  speak  as  the  mouth -piece  of  a  society  composed  of 
English  clergy  and  English  nobles  when  I  say,  "  Let  us  raise  our 
poor  brethren  to  our  own  level."  "  Sirs,  ye  are  brethren ;  why  do 
ye  wrong  one  to  another  ?" 

Thank  God  for  this.  The  mighty  chasm  between  rich  and 
poor  is  filling  up.  That  selfish,  useless  indolence,  that  savage, 
sullen  hatred,  are  alike  disappearing,  and  men  are  beginning  to 
feel  the  very  reverse  of  the  Egyptian  policy.  If  England  is  to  be 
happy  and  great,  we  must  be  one  nation,  not  two ;  rich  and  poor 
joined  together  in  bands  of  unity  and  chains  of  love. 

Yet  there  is  a  discouraging  aspect  also.  History  tells  that  the 
struggle  between  rank  and  numbers  has  sometimes  ended  in  a 
satisfactory  adjustment.  But  in  the  struggle  between  wealth  and 
numbers  we  have  had  no  example  yet;  there  has  been  national 
ruin  in  every  case. 

Therefore,  my  first  appeal  to-day  is  to  you  as  Englishmen. 
The  only  thing  whicli  stands  between  us  and  national  revolution 
is  to  educate  our  poor,  to  make  them  feel  that  we  do  not  monop- 
olize wealth  and  education ;  that  we  are  their  friends,  not  their 
enemies. 

My  second  appeal  is  to  you  as  Christians.  Egyptian  instruc- 
tion is  not  education.  It  must  be  joined  with  religion,  and  that 
on  the  basis  of  the  Bible. 


52  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven, 


VI. 
THE  KINGDOM  OF  HEAVEN. 

(l  i:OM  AUTOGRAPH  NOTES.) 

Oxford,  July  11,  1847. 

*' And  when  he  was  demanded  of  the  Pliarisees  when  the  kingdom  of  God 
should  come,  he  answered  them  and  said,  The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not 
with  observation:  neitlier  shall  they  say,  Lo  here!  or,  Lo  there!  for  behold, 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."— Luke  xvii.  20,  21. 

This  passage  was  occasioned  by  the  sarcastic  question  of  tlie 
Pharisees :  "  He  was  demanded  of  the  Pharisees  when  the  king- 
dom of  God  should  come." 

If  we  ask  what  was  the  expression  most  frequent  on  our  Re- 
deemer's lips,  the  answer  is,  "  The  kingdom  of  God."  It  was  this 
which  occasioned  the  fear  in  Herod,  and  the  slaughter  of  the  In- 
nocents: "  Where  is  He  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?"  It  forms 
the  subject  of  a  petition  in  the  Lord's  Prayer:  "Thy  kingdom 
come."  Again,  in  the  parables,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened 
unto  leaven,  etc.  A  voice  was  heard  in  the  wilderness :  "  Repent 
ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  It  was  the  definite 
announcement  of  a  Church  to  be  set  up  on  earth. 

A  man  who  is  filled  with  one  idea,  repeating  it,  is  looked  upon 
as  a  dreamer,  an  enthusiast.  People  smile  when  they  hear  his 
project,  as  a  kind  of  monomania.  So  the  repetition  of  "  kingdom 
of  heaven  "  became  at  last  ludicrous  in  the  ears  of  the  Pharisees. 
The  same  words  were  repeated  again  and  again.  But  months  and 
years  rolled  by.  Jesus  continued  teaching  simply  as  usual,  and 
there  was  nothing  resulting.  Then  they  would  smile  and  sneer. 
At  last  they  came  to  Him,  and  said :  "  Well,  when  is  this  kingdom, 
that  we  hear  so  much  of,  to  come  ?  We  have  heard  of  it  long,  we 
should  like  to  see  it." 

Jesus  then  unfolded  his  own  meaning,  and  explained  why  they 
had  not  seen  it. 

His  answer  divides  our  subject  into  two  branches : 


TJie  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  5  3 

I.  What  is  meant  by  the  "  kingdom  of  heaven  ?" 

II.  The  false  expectations  of  men  concerning  it. 

I.  What  is  meant  by  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  Let  us  define 
our  notion  of  a  kingdom.  Literally,  it  is  a  place  Avhere  a  sov^- 
ereign's  influence  rules ;  in  this  sense  it  is  the  reign  of  a  person. 
Figuratively,  it  means  the  domain  in  which  one  principle  predom- 
inates ;  in  this  sense  it  is  the  reign  of  a  principle. 

The  vegetable  kingdom  is  the  place  where  vegetable  life  reigns. 
The  animal  kingdom  where  sentient,  conscious,  feeling  life  reigns. 
And  this  is  not  bounded  by  locality,  by  earth,  air,  or  water ;  not 
"  Lo  here,  lo  there."  Nor  is  it  limited  by  form.  We  see  it  in  the 
small  green  insect  on  the  leaf,  and  in  the  whale  tumbling  in  the 
seas.    It  presents  no  outward  uniformity  ;  it  is  a  kingdom  within. 

Again,  take  the  kingdom  of  England.  Wherever  the  laws  of 
the  English  sovereign  are  acknowledged,  there  is  the  kingdom. 
Not  in  this  bounded  isle  alone,  on  land  or  water,  in  Europe  or 
Asia,  so  that  we  can  say,  "  Lo  here."  Nor  can  it  be  recognized 
by  dress,  language,  color,  for  the  kingdom  is  within — it  "  cometh 
not  with  observation."  Wherever  a  foreign  flag  is  lowered  in 
token  of  admitted  superiority,  there  is  the  English  empire  of  the 
seas.  Wherever  the  colonist's  axe  hews  forests  aw^ay  under  gov- 
ernment protection ;  wherever  the  royal  salute  is  fired,  and  the 
submission  of  the  subject  paid ;  and  wherever  the  offended  majesty 
of  British  law  claims  a  victim — the  hangman's  rope  drawn,  and 
the  hano-man's  bolt  let  fall — there  is  the  kino;dom. 

Observe,  there  are  four  ideas  connected  with  the  notion  of  a 
kingdom — the  expansion  of  the  kingdom  ;  the  povrer ;  the  glory  ; 
and  the  right  of  judging. 

These  four  you  find  in  the  Scriptural  notion  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Wherever  God  rules,  and  God's  character  prevails,  and 
God's  laws  are  recognized. 

We  see  the  idea  of  expansion  in  the  parable  of  the  mustard- 
seed  ;  here  is  colonization. 

The  idea  of  power :  "  He  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever ;"  here 
the  flag  lowered. 

The  idea  of  glory  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  in  the 
archangel's  trumpet ;  here  the  salute  of  the  universe. 

The  idea  of  punishment :  when  the  kingdom  of  God  came  in 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem ;  here  the  rip-ht  of  execution. 


54  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

There  is  one  idea  in  all  this;  the  kingdom  of  heaven  means 
the  rule  of  God  and  Righteousness  on  this  earth. 

Three  characteristics  marked  the  entrance  of  this  kingdom  into 
the  world. 

The  first  is  its  silence  :  it  "  coraeth  not  with  observation  ;"  it  is 
secret  and  unostentatious.  There  is  no  parade,  no  display ;  but  as 
a  still  small  voice.  There  stood  Christ :  nothing  wonderful  in 
His  look ;  and  the  Pharisees  asked  for  the  kingdom  when  the 
King  stood  before  them  ! 

And  so  in  all  God's  great  movements.  The  great  revolutions 
in  this  world  are  brought  about  quietly.  Look  at  a  conqueror ! 
His  name  goes  through  the  world  like  a  peal  of  thunder.  Twenty 
years  elapse,  and  what  has  he  done  ?  The  destroyed  towns  are 
built  up  again,  as  if  he  had  cut  through  the  ocean.  The  battle  is 
over,  the  slain  are  buried,  the  cannon  silent. 

Look,  on  the  contrary,  at  the  power  of  a  truly  holy  thought. 
It  lives.  That  still,  small  voice — the  universe  begins  to  hear  it. 
Which  is  mightiest,  the  lightning  glaring,  or  the  genial  gentle 
vegetation  of  this  season  making  all  nature  burst  out  in  beauty 
and  in  joy  ? 

The  second  characteristic  is  that  it  w-as  internal:  "The  king- 
dom is  within  you."  A  day  is  coming  when  God's  rule  shall  be 
felt  in  crushing,  outward  power.  It  will  be  His  execution ;  the 
expunging  of  evil  from  the  earth.  But  His  real  truest  kingdom 
is  seen  in  voluntary  submission. 

Look  at  these  two  pictures — In  the  one,  subjects  kept  down  by 
force,  tithes  and  taxes  collected  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  rebels 
marched  oil  under  armed  escort.  In  the  other,  a  king  issuing 
beneficent  laws  from  his  cabinet :  he  himself  is  not  seen,  but  his 
name  revered;  no  armed  police,  but  smiling  corn-fields,  health, 
towns  stately,  and  commerce  prosperous.  Which  is  the  truest 
picture  of  a  kingdom,  compulsion  or  grateful  acquiescence  ?  The 
kingdom  is  within  you. 

Christ  did  reign.  When  the  Pharisees  spoke,  the  King  had  al- 
ready come.  He  reigned  in  the  fishing-boat,  etc.  And  this  is 
God's  kingdom.  In  one  sense  we  are  all  subjects  of  God's  king- 
dom, because  within  His  power.  In  another  sense,  and  that  the 
truest,  only  those  are  in  it  who  receive  His  laws — the  laws  of  love 
and  self-denial,  with  a  pure  heart  and  life.  This  is  a  simple  truth, 
but  a  sublime  one.  God  reigns  in  the  heart ;  God's  kingdom  is  a 
kinsrdom  of  cfoodness. 


TJie  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  55 

But  men  find  substitutes  for  tins  "  Lo  here !"  something  tangi- 
ble, visible,  and  localized — forms,  creeds,  priesthood,  etc.  There- 
fore a  third  characteristic  is  that  it  is  not  local. 

II.  False  expectations  of  men  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God. 

1.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  a  Church  kingdom.  Ask  men 
•what  they  mean  by  extending  Christ's  kingdom,  and  we  find  that 
many  mean  extending  their  own  form  of  Church  government. 
So  Eome  compelled  men  to  be  baptized  by  thousands,  and  made 
subjects  of  the  Pope.  The  Churchman  thinks  he  extends  the 
kingdom  if  he  can  get  Episcopacy  established  over  the  world; 
the  Presbyterian,  if  he  can  get  Presbyterianism  ;  the  Dissenter,  if 
he  can  get  his  own  form.  This  is  proselytizing,  not  to  Christ  and 
goodness,  but  to  party. 

Well,  it  is  done.  Here  you  have  sacraments  all  regular,  and 
consecrated  buildings,  and  ministers  apostolically  ordained;  but 
worldly  men  and  women  come — flaunting,  gay,  idle  persons — to 
stare :  is  that  the  house  of  God?  If  men  are  here  with  hearts  and 
lives  straining  after  God,  it  matters  little  what  the  building  is — 
*'  This  is  no  other  than  the  house  of  God." 

Observe  the  feverish  desire  to  find  the  true  Church ;  the  anxiety 
to  know,  Do  I  belong  to  the  true  Church  ?  Let  us  inquire,  first, 
Am  I  a  true  member  of  any  Church?  It  is  a  matter  of  some  im- 
portance to  be  in  the  right  Church,  but  not  of  the  first  impor- 
tance. Fenelon,  Robert  Hall,  and  other  such  like-minded  men 
were  in  wrong  churches.  A  Church  is  a  society  of  men  for  put- 
ting down  evil.  The  framework  of  a  Church  is  a  hothouse  to 
ripen  and  mature.  I  believe  that  a  hothouse  will  nurture  grapes 
better  than  outdoor  culture ;  yet  if  I  find  a  Hampton  Court  vine, 
I  do  not  say  these  are  not  grapes,  but  I  say,  I  would  not  try  the 
experiment  again,  though  it  has  succeeded  here.  I  say,  his  Church 
is  a  bad  system  for  making  Christians ;  but  it  has  made  a  Chris- 
tian of  him. 

Mark,  you  do  not  become  a  Christian  by  entering  the  true 
Church,  but  the  Church  is  made  by  true  Christians  entering  it. 
It  is  not  the  Church  which  makes  Christians,  but  Christians  which 
make  the  Church.  This  feverish  desire  to  find  the  true  Church, 
this  anxiety  to  know  do  I  belong  to  the  true  Church,  arises  from 
the  Pharisaical  error :  the  expectation  that  certain  mysterious  in- 
fluences will  act  upon  us  from  without,  independently  of  our  own 


56  TJie  Ki?tgdom  of  Heaven. 

activity  and  toil.  Dreams!  dreams!  The  framework  of  the 
Church  is  a  help,  not  a  force ;  mere  outward  culture  to  nurture 
the  kingdom  within  you. 

2.  Nor  is  it  a  State  kingdom.  People  expect  the  regeneration 
of  society  from  political  government  and  acquired  rights.  This 
is  another  dream.  Witness  the  ardent  expectation  throughout 
Europe  during  the  French  Revolution. 

Samuel's  sons  were  exchanged  for  Saul — was  it  an  improve- 
ment ?  In  Chartism  ive  have  seen  great  hopes  and  great  changes, 
yet  society  remains  much  the  same.  Life  goes  on  as  usual ;  there 
is  the  same  struggle. 

"  How  small,  of  all  that  human  hearts  endure, 
That  part  which  laws  or  kings  can  cause  or  cure!" 

You  get  your  darling  measure,  and  then  things  settle  down  as  be- 
fore. Evil  hearts  are  not  subdued  by  State  regulations.  Content- 
ment does  not  come.  Poverty  does  not  vanish.  You  get  rid  of 
the  tyranny  of  an  aristocracy,  and  get  the  tyranny  of  a  mob. 

Reform  yourselves.  Often  I  have  thought  of  this  when  I  have 
seen  political  placards  in  workshops,  inscribed  with  some  feverish 
cry  of  the  day.  When  will  the  kingdom  of  God  come  ?  It  is  the 
same  old  cry  doomed  to  disappointment.  Brethren,  the  Pharisees 
asked  that  question.  It  never  came,  because  they  were  for  begin- 
ning outwardly.  If  they  had  got  rid  of  the  Roman  yoke,  what 
then?  Christ  was  divinely  wise,  and  He  said,  "Free  yourselves; 
if  the  Son  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed."  Not 
political  oppression,  but  the  slavery  of  sin,  is  your  malady.  Christ 
was  quite  content  with  existing  forms ;  there  were  better,  but  there 
were  also  worse. 

Do  I  speak  to  one  who  burns  with  the  idea  of  doing  good  to 
his  country  by  this  measure  or  that  measure?  Well,  I  honor  it! 
It  is  generous !  A  high  yearning,  but  a  dream.  Do  not  expect 
more  than  political  improvement  is  capable  of  giving.  Prepare 
for  disappointment.  The  sad  page  of  history  says  that  countries 
got  free  and  civilized,  and  that  human  happiness  was  not  increased 
because  the  kingdom  was  a  State  kingdom.  There  may  be  happi- 
ness in  Austria  or  Russia ;  Paul,  under  the  Roman  government, 
was  in  prison,  and  was  yet  happy ;  and  so  are  all  who  have  the 
kingdom  within.  The  natural  man  strives  from  things  outward 
to  things  inward ;  and  hence  the  Mohammedan  kingdom  and  its 


TJie  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  57 

failure ;  hence  the  failure  of  desolating-  pestilences,  which  only 
make  the  reckless  more  reckless  still;  and  hence  the  failure  of 
Kome. 

3.  Neither  does  it  consist  in  outward  forms.  Some  people  think 
the  kingdom  of  God  will  come  when  we  all  worship  after  the  same 
pattern,  and  when  forms  are  alike  in  liturgies,  dresses,  and  hymns. 

The  best  intentions  in  the  world  are  at  the  bottom  of  this  mis- 
take. Laud  tried  it ;  he  punished  and  pilloried,  and  nearly  got  it ; 
but  his  sovereign  lost  his  throne,  and  England  was  convulsed.  A 
few  years  before,  Elizabeth  made  Dissenters.  A  few  years  after, 
two  thousand  of  the  best  ministers  in  England  were  driven  from 
the  Church. 

Let  us  distinguish  between  Unity  and  Uniformity.  Unity  is 
inward  resemblance ;  Uniformity,  outward.  The  army  is  one ;  yet 
is  different  in  arms,  dress,  and  accoutrements.  Uniformity  would 
destroy  its  unity.     It  is  complete  unity  ruled  by  one  will. 

In  a  garden  with  box  and  quickset  clipped  and  squared,  we 
have  uniformity ;  in  another  garden  with  each  tree  growing  in  its 
own  natural  way,  yet  planned  by  a  pervading  mind  which  has 
placed  them  so  as  to  harmonize,  we  have  unity. 

Artificial  crushing  forms  are  not  life  nor  union.  Love  is  the 
bond  of  perfectness.  Let  forms  differ !  Forms  must  be !  But 
let  each  Church  choose  those  which  most  naturally  express  its 
own  feelings.     Christ's  kingdom  is  not  in  forms,  but  within  you. 

4.  Nor  is  it  found  in  locality.  It  is  a  common  error  to  say 
"  Lo  here,  or,  Lo  there,"  which  binds  religion  and  God  to  a  certain 
place.  It  is  the  old  controversy  between  the  Jews  and  the  Sa- 
maritans. It  is  the  controversy  as  to  the  sacraments.  There  arc 
people  who  fancy  that  regeneration  is  in  the  water,  and  Christ  in 
some  mystical  way  in  the  bread  and  wine  after  some  magical 
words.  Observe  the  localization  of  this  "  Lo  here."  Or,  again, 
people  say  a  Church  is  a  holy  place.  So  it  is  if  holy  people  be  in 
it — not  else  ;  the  kingdom  is  within  you,  not  in  stones.  Where  is 
the  holiest  place  on  earth  ?  Where  souls  breathe  the  holiest  vows, 
and  execute  the  most  heroic  purposes.  Where  is  the  Holy  of 
Holies  in  this  city  ?  Perhaps  in  some  small,  dark,  miserable  room. 
W^here  does  God  reign,  where  are  His  splendors  felt?  Is  it  in  the 
pealing  organ,  or  in  a  good  man's  soul  ?  Where  music  pours  out 
its  melody,  or  where  human  hands  have  collected  all  graceful  and 

all  lovely  forms  ? 

3^. 


58  The  Secret  Growth  of  the  Seed. 

Again,  if  we  speak  of  locality,  people  would  say  where  Christ 
was,  or  where  some  pious  minister  is.  But  Christ  was  there  to 
the  Pharisees,  and  yet  was  no  king  to  them.  The  kingdom  of 
God  is  not  a  thing  near  you,  but  a  thing  in  you. 

And  so  people  run  about.  Salvation  is  not  got  in  a  place,  here 
or  there.  It  does  not  depend  on  finding  the  best  teacher  or  the 
best  book.  They  are  like  a  young  boy  running  about  from  study 
to  garden,  from  sunshine  to  shade,  from  shade  to  garret,  from 
posture  to  posture,  trying  to  fix  his  mind.  He  carries  desultory 
feelings  within  him,  go  where  he  will.  Attention  is  not  got  by 
change  of  phxce.  Let  him  sit  down  where  he  is,  and  seek  the 
kingdom  of  thought  within  him,  and  the  power  of  will. 

So  in  religion.  People  look  to  helps,  they  change  from  Church 
to  Church.  This  is  the  secret  of  the  recent  secessions  to  Rome. 
Men  who  could  not  find  sympathy  and  assistances.  They  become 
restless,  and  come  back.  Try  the  helps  you  have.  Christ's  own 
presence  would  not  give  you  v.diat  you  v/ant.  A  Christian  thrives 
anywhere. 


VI  r. 

THE   SECRET  GROWTH   OF  THE   SEED. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Oxford,  July  15,  1847. 

"And  he  said,  So  is  tlie  kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast  seed 
into  the  ground." — Mark  iv.  20. 

Last  Thursday  we  examined  the  subject  of  the  entrance  of 
Divine  life  into  the  soul  in  the  case  of  Jacob.  Conversion  con- 
sisted both  in  impressions  and  resolves.  Jacob's  impressions 
arose  from  his  leaving  home,  from  the  direct  voice  of  God,  and 
from  feeling  the  full  earnestness  of  life.  His  resolves  were  the 
fastening  upon  him  recollections,  and  the  devoting  self  and  sub- 
stance to  God. 

To-day  we  take  the  subject  of  the  sustcntation  of  the  Divine  life. 

The  Divine  life  is  real.  Ask  you  what  it  is?  There  have  been 
men  to  whom  it  was  so  real  that  no  outward  temptation  could  se- 
duce them  from  its  contemplation ;  no  outward  menace  deter  them. 


The  Secret  Growth  of  the  Seed.  59 

Tyrants  let  loose  tlie  lion  and  the  flame  in  vain.  There  are  other 
men  who  see  nothing  beyond  the  present,  and  who  live  for  it — 
men  to  whom  goodness  is  a  dream ;  they  are  of  the  earth,  earthy. 

And  the  Divine  life  is  supported  by  discipline  here.  Seventy 
years  are  given  for  the  education  of  the  spirit.  Life  infused  in 
the  Infinite  is  one  thing  ;  life  supported  another. 

Our  subject  divides  itself  into  two  branches : 

I.  Progress  of  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man. 

II.  Periods  of  its  development. 

1.  1.  Real  life  is  that  which  has  in  it  a  principle  of  expansion. 
It  "springs  and  grows  up."  Moreover,  it  is  not  only  growth,  but 
tendency  ever  towards  a  higher  life.  Life  has  innate  energy,  and 
will  unfold  itself  accordino;  to  the  law  of  its  own  beins:.  Its  law 
is  progress  towards  its  own  possible  completeness:  such  com- 
pleteness as  its  nature  admits  of. 

By  this  we  distinguish  real  life  from  seeming  life.  As  you  cut 
the  stone  and  carve  it,  so  it  remains.  But  cut  a  tree ;  lop  off  its 
branches,  strip  it ;  it  will  shoot  and  sprout.  Only  deadness  re- 
mains unaltered.  Trees  in  winter  all  seem  alike.  Spring  detects 
life.  Man  can  impart  motion,  and  make  automatons.  Growth 
and  powder  he  cannot  give. 

This  is  the  principle  of  all  life.  And  in  the  higher  life  especial- 
ly, there  is  not  only  expansion,  but  progress.  The  limpet  on  the 
rock  only  increases  in  volume.  The  plant  develops  into  the  flow- 
er. The  insect  develops  from  the  ^gg  into  the  caterpillar,  grows, 
spins  itself  a  coflin,  and  becomes  hard  and  shelly.  But  the  life 
goes  on,  and  it  emerges  a  brilliant  butterfly.  Look  at  a  child 
sprawling  on  the  floor,  then  think  of  railways,  steamships,  manu- 
factures. The  power  of  mind  is  developed  out  of  the  materialism 
of  baby  pulp. 

Observe,  therefore,  the  test  of  the  real  life  of  God  is  growth. 

Amiability  dies,  grace  grows,  as  life  goes  on. 

2.  Real  life  is  that  which  has  individual,  independent  energy : 
it  "  bears  fruit  of  itself." 

Observe  its  hardihood.  It  needs  no  petting.  It  is  no  hothouse 
plant.  Let  the  wild  winds  of  heaven  blow  upon  it,  with  frost, 
scorching  sun,  and  storms.  Religion  is  not  for  a  cloister,  but  for 
life,  real  hardy  life.  Observe  Christ's  religion,  and  compare  it 
with   the  fanciful  religion  of  cloistered  men.     Religious  books 


6o  The  Secret  Growth  of  the  Seed. 

which  speak  of  fastidious,  retiring,  feeble  delicacy.  The  best 
Christianity  grows  up  in  exposure.  The  life  of  Christ  Himself  is 
an  illustration  of  this.  So,  too,  that  of  the  apostles  in  the  world, 
and  that  of  a  Christian  in  the  army. 

Again,  it  can  be  left  to  itself  safely.  It  will  grow.  Ministers 
need  not  torment  themselves  about  the  issue  of  their  work,  for 
God  gives  the  increase.  It  can  be  left ;  for  it  is  God  in  the  soul. 
When  once  the  farmer  has  sown,  he  can  do  little  more  except  weed. 

Moreover,  it  is  apparently  left  to  itself  by  God.  There  is  no 
visible  interference.  God  seems  to  sleep — sleep  "  night  and  day." 
God's  work  seems  left.  So  was  it  in  the  progress  of  the  Church. 
Christ  withdrew,  and  the  Church's  history  is  a  perpetual  question 
whence  came  the  tares  ?  Evil  men  prosper.  There  are  no  light- 
ning flashes ! 

And  thus  is  it  in  the  individual  soul.  The  planting  of  life  is 
often  almost  a  visible  interference  of  God.  Afterwards  all  is  si- 
lent ;  no  interposition.     Even  prayer  is  left  unreplied  to. 

Once  more,  we  observe  the  sacredness  of  individual  character — 
of  Originality.  It  bears  fruit  of  itself  in  its  own  individual  de- 
velopment. The  process  is  never  exactly  repeated.  Life  is  no 
mechanical  thing.  It  is  everywhere  alike,  yet  different.  Count 
the  leaves  and  grains,  measure  the  height  of  the  trees,  notice  the 
sheep,  examine  the  leaves  on  an  oak !  So  in  the  Christian  life. 
No  two  men  think  the  same,  or  believe  the  same.  It  is  always 
so  in  the  highest  life,  and  in  national  character.  There  is  ever  a 
beautiful  diversity. 

3.  Its  growth  is  mysterious,  secret :  "  He  knoweth  not  how." 

The  law  of  development  is  hidden  though  real.  After  long 
years,  work  is  visible.  In  agriculture  you  cannot  see  the  growth. 
Pass  that  country  two  months  after,  and  there  is  a  difference.  So 
in  a  clock.  You  cannot  see  it  move.  But  the  hand  is  altered 
when  you  look  again.  It  has  described  a  large  revolution  on  the 
dial-plate. 

So  we  grow.  It  is  marvellous  when  and  where  we  get  our 
Christian  knowledge.  Not  systematically,  but  here  and  there.  A 
man  whom  you  have  known  young,  you  meet  again  in  middle  age, 
and  you  ask,  AVhere  did  he  get  all  this  knowledge,  this  character, 
this  heavenliness  ? 

There  are  Christians  who  are  anxious  to  see  growth.  They 
scratch,  and  dig  away  at  the  root.     Wait  I 


The  Secret  GrowtJi  of  t lie  Seed.  6i 

4.  It  manifests  itself  incessantly  during  daily  occupations ; 
while  "  rising  night  and  day." 

Go  and  stand  by  a  field  at  night.  Men  are  asleep.  No  light 
in  yon  cottage.  But  growth  and  motion  are  in  that  field,  and 
more  rapidly  by  night  than  by  day.  We  learn  even  when  we  are 
doing  nothing — contemplating,  suffering. 

Our  souls  do  not  rest  any  more  than  our  bodies.  Hearts  beat 
out  their  life-pulses  while  asleep. 

There  comes  a  solemn  feeling  at  moonlight,  and  by  the  sea- 
side, or  by  Schaffhausen.  The  Spirit  of  the  Universe  moving 
on  !     Mighty  pulse  ! 

So  we  acquire  firmness  and  experience  incessantly.  Every  ac- 
tion, every  word,  every  meal  is  part  of  our  trial  and  our  discipline. 
AVe  are  assuredly  ripening,  or  else  blighting. 

II.  Periods  of  development — blade,  ear,  full  corn  in  the  ear. 

Sometimes  these  periods  correspond  with  periods  of  life ;  some- 
times not.  The  blade  may  be  in  old  age,  the  man  born  when  he 
is  old.     Or  in  very  youth  there  may  be  maturity  of  yellow  corn. 

1.  The  blade.     Marked  by  tenderness  and  negativeness. 

No  distinct  views — "blown  about  with  every  wind  of  doc- 
trine." The  only  feeling  of  life  is  the  desire  to  live  to  God.  And 
better  so.  Men  who  begin  with  rigid  views  of  Church,  etc.,  and 
whose  religion  begins  in  opinion  and  controversy,  are  not  so 
healthy  as  they  who  begin  with  feeling — Divine  life  rather  than 
Divine  creed — Amanda  rather  than  Credenda.  Young  brethren, 
we  are  not  anxious  to  give  you  views,  but  convictions — warm 
hearts  rather  than  definite  opinions. 

Negativeness:  no  distinct  character.  What  is  it  to  be?  Oats, 
barle}^  rye,  wheat,  tares?  It  is  an  anxious  moment  when  a  child 
is  born;  it  is  an  anxious  moment  when  first  religious  thoughts 
come.  Blade — but  what?  Wheat,  to  be  gathered  into  God's 
garner,  or  only  a  weed  ? 

2.  The  ear.     Marked  by  vigor  and  beauty. 

Vigor :  erect,  with  decision,  fixed  principles  and  views. 

Beauty.  Describe  the  flowering  petals,  etc.  Solemn  season. 
What  promise  !  What  thoughtfulness  !  Yet  blight  is  more  fre- 
quent now — prostration. 

Deep  solemn  silence  in  Confirmation. 

3.  Full  corn  in  the  ear.    Marked  by  maturity  and  ripeness.    It 


62  The  Lazv  our  Schoolmaster. 

has  no  further  stage  of  development  on  earth.  It  must  die  and 
sprout  again.     But  its  present  work  is  done. 

The  few  stalks  that  stand  rot :  they  have  not  been  ripened. 
The  old  man  in  his  imbecility.  He  might  have  borne  more  grains, 
etc.,  but  his  ripeness  is  over. 

What  is  ripeness  ?  Completeness,  all  powers  equally  cultivated. 
It  is  the  completion  of  the  principles,  feelings,  and  tempers. 

This  period  is  also  marked  by  humility  and  by  joy.  By  hu- 
mility :  the  head  hangs  gracefully  down  in  token  of  ripeness  ;  al- 
ways so  with  men  of  great  attainments.  "  I  am  but  a  little  child," 
said  Newton,  "  picking  up  pebbles  on  the  shore  of  the  vast  ocean 
of  truth."  By  joy :  the  happy  aspect  of  waving  corn  !  But  its 
beauty  is  chiefly  felt  by  the  thoughtful  man.  It  is  the  calm  deep 
joy  of  the  harvest  being  safe,  and  famine  impossible.  The  food 
of  a  nation  waves  before  him. 

Perhaps  the  green  blade  might  be  more  beautiful  if  this  associa- 
tion were  not  felt. 

So  is  the  joy  of  age.     Deep,  calm,  nearness  to  God. 

Sickle — harvest — well ! 

There  is  a  truer,  deeper  happiness  of  age  than  of  youth. 


VIII. 
THE  LAW  OUR   SCHOOLMASTER. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Bi'ighton,  Septernher  19,  1817. 

"Wherefore  the  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ,  that 
we  might  be  justified  by  Mth.  But  after  that  faith  is  come,  we  are  no  longer 
under  a  sclioolmaster." — Gal.  iii.  24,  25. 

This  verse  contains  the  information  that  God's  dealing  with 
His  world  is  a  kind  of  education.  The  word  "schoolmaster"  im- 
plies this.  God  treats  His  world  as  schoolmasters  should  treat 
their  children. 

Therefore  we  contemplate  the  world's  development  as  an  edu- 
cation. And  from  the  way  in  which  God  brought  the  world  from 
infancy  to  manhood  we  learn  the  deep  principle  on  which  our 
ov/n  system  of  education  should  be  conducted. 


The  Lazu  our  Schoolmaster,  63 

There  was  a  time  of  the  world's  minority,  and  a  time  when  the 
world  came  of  age.  These  times  were  marked  by  two  different 
stages  of  feeling — bondage  and  liberty;  and  by  two  different 
principles  of  action  —  acting  from  law  and  acting  from  faith. 
There  was  the  time  when  Moses  was  the  world's  schoolmaster, 
and  the  time  when  Christ  became  the  world's  higher  teacher. 

This  principle  is  an  extended  one. 

It  is  true  in  national  life.  There  is  the  period  when  laws 
wliich  grow  into  a  constitution  are  rigidly  observed ;  and  also  the 
period  when  all  these,  like  a  scaffolding,  are  relaxed  in  rigor,  be- 
cause the  nation  has  got  thai  character,  good  or  evil,  which  the 
constitution  was  capable  of  giving.  The  old  forms  have  gone, 
the  spirit  lives  on. 

It  is  no  less  true  in  the  single  heart's  life.  In  the  heart  history 
of  every  religious  man  there  are  two  periods,  longer  or  shorter, 
more  or  less  definitely  marked  (for  one  passes  into  the  other) — 
the  state  of  pupilage  and  the  state  of  faith.  There  is  a  time 
when  he  acts  from  law,  and  a  time  when  he  acts  from  a  larger, 
more  liberal,  more  noble  principle — that  of  faith.  A  time  when 
he  is  under  law,  and  a  time  when  he  is  without  law. 

Take  these  verses.  Read  them.  Observe  the  broad  general 
sentiment.  These  two  stages  must  be  kept  separate  and  observed 
in  their  right  order.  One  must  go  before  the  other.  There  was 
a  time  when  God  put  His  world  under  a  schoolmaster,  then  it 
would  have  been  preposterous  to  apply  faith.  There  is  a  time 
when  a  larger  spirit  has  come,  and  then  it  would  be  going  back 
to  use  law :  "  After  that  faith  is  come,  we  are  no  longer  under  a 
schoolmaster." 

Our  subject,  therefore,  divides  itself  into  two  branches  : 

I.  The  uses  of  restraint  in  the  heart's  education. 

II.  The  time  when  restraint  may  be  laid  aside. 

I.  The  uses  of  restraint  in  the  heart's  education.  "The  law 
was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might  be 
justified  by  faith."  How  was  this  ?  AVe  use  the  word  "  restraint," 
and  substitute  it  for  the  word  "  law,"  as  more  intelligible.  Law 
to  a  Jew  meant  what  we  mean  by  a  system  of  checks  and  re- 
straints. And  that  whether  by  special  laws  or  by  the  forms  in 
which  religious  feeling  was  to  be  guided. 

1.  The  first  use  of  law  is  to  restrain  from  open  violence ;  to  act 


64  TJie  Laiv  our  ScJioolmastcr. 

as  a  check :  "  The  law  is  not  made  for  a  riglitcous  man,  but  for 
the  lawless  and  disobedient,  for  the  ungodly  and  sinners,  for  un- 
holy and  profane."  That  is,  it  was  made  to  check  transgression, 
it  was  "  added  because  of  transgression." 

As  an  example  of  this  use,  let  us  take  the  law  against  coiners. 
It  was  not  made  for  us;  we  are  not  under  it,  because  we  are  not 
restrained  by  it.  Abrogate  it  to-morrow,  we  should  not  coin. 
The  penalty  does  not  prevent  us  from  coining.  But  some  would 
coin  were  they  not  restrained  by  that  law.  They  know  the  pen- 
alty, and  therefore  they  abstain.  The  law  was  made  for  them ;  it 
is  a  schoolmaster  to  them.  The  law  hangs  as  a  drag  on  the  wheels 
of  evil,  not  absolutely  stopping,  but  checking  it. 

Observe,  therefore,  the  law  is  a  schoolmaster  to  rule  those  who 
cannot  rule  themselves.  It  is  intended  to  lead  to  a  state  when 
men  may  be  able  to  rule  themselves  without  the  restraint  of  law. 
Therefore  we  ask,  For  whom  is  law  necessary,  and  how  long  is  it 
necessary  for  them?  It  is  necessary  for  those  who  feel  the  incli- 
nation to  evil ;  and  so  long  as  the  inclination  remains,  so  far 
must  a  man  be  under  law. 

In  this  stage  it  would  be  madness  to  relax  from  restraint.  Im- 
agine a  governor  amidst  a  population  of  convicts  trusting  to  high 
principle.  Imagine  a  parent  having  no  fixed  hours,  no  rules,  no 
law  in  his  household,  no  punishment  for  evil !  There  is  a  morbid 
feeling  against  punishment;  but  it  is  God's  system.  Men  have 
often  false  notions  about  personal  liberty  and  personal  dignity. 
They  are  trying  the  principle  of  faith  when  the  stage  has  not  yet 
come  to  have  done  with  law. 

2.  The  second  use  of  restraint  in  heart-education  is  to  show 
the  inward  force  of  evil. 

This  is  best  expressed  by  an  illustration.  A  steam-engine  at 
work  in  a  manufactory  is  so  quiet  and  gentle  that  a  child  might 
put  it  back.  But  interpose  a  bar  of  iron  many  inches  thick,  and 
it  cuts  through  as  if  it  were  so  much  leather.  Introduce  a  human 
limb — it  whirls  round,  and  the  form  of  man  is  in  one  moment  a 
bleeding,  mangled,  shapeless  mass.  Now,  observe,  it  is  restraint 
that  manifests  this  unsuspected  power.  In  the  same  way,  law  dis- 
covers the  strength  of  evil  in  our  hearts.  Not  till  a  man  has  felt 
something  resisting  that  evil  does  he  know  its  force,  .  .  . 

3.  The  third  use  is  to  form  habits  of  obedience. 

Let  us  thoughtfully  try  to  realize  Israelitish  life.     It  was  made 


The  Laiv  our  Schoolmaster.  65 

up  of  numberless  observances  and  duties  whicli  gradually  formed 
in  the  mind  a  feeling  of  subjection  to  a  higher  Will.  Hence  was 
developed  the  old  Hebrew  character — that  fine,  heroic,  stern  race 
of  chieftains,  who  had  no  speculations  about  right  and  wrong. 
Life  was  with  them  an  action,  not  a  thought. 

In  that  profession  which  is  specially  one  of  obedience,  the  mil- 
itary profession,  you  cannot  mistake  the  imparted  type  of  charac- 
ter. Immediate,  prompt  obedience ;  no  questioning  "  Why." 
Hence  comes  their  decision  of  character.  Hence,  too,  their  hap- 
piness. 

This  is  a  principle  of  all  education  that  deserves  the  name. 
Would  you  have  your  child  happy,  decided,  manly  ?  Teach  him 
to  obey.  It  is  an  error  to  teach  a  child  to  act  on  reason,  or  to 
expect  reasons  why  a  command  is  given.  Never  suffer  a  child  to 
ask  "  why  V  For,  observe,  from  that  moment  you  constitute  him 
judge  of  your  decision.  All  is  well  if  you  convince  him  now ; 
but  next  time  he  may  not  be  convinced.  Then  ensues  wretched- 
ness, distrust,  and  scepticism.  The  first  thing  a  child  has  to  learn 
is  that  there  is  a  will  above  him.  Better  is  it  that  he  should  obey 
a  mistaken  order  than  be  taught  to  see  that  it  is  mistaken.  A 
parent  must  be  master  in  his  own  house. 

4.  The  fourth  use  is  to  form  habits  of  faith  :  "  To  bring  us  unto 
Christ,  that  w^e  might  be  justified  by  faith."  As  Judaism  wvas  a 
system  calculated  to  nurture  habits  of  obedience,  so  was  it  one 
which  nourished  the  temper  of  faith.  Let  us  take,  for  example, 
the  case  of  the  Sabbath-day.  Imagine  how  it  was  passed.  It  was 
somewhat  as  it  was  in  Puritanical  times,  somewhat  as  it  is  in 
Scotland  now.  The  Jew  was  forbidden  to  do  any  work,  to  speak 
his  own  w^ords,  to  think  his  own  thoughts.  He  might  only  walk 
a  "  Sabbath-day's  journey."  Yet  consider  how  all  this  stern  sys- 
tem was  calculated  to  throw  a  man  in  on  himself.  It  was  a  bar- 
rier thrown  across  the  stream  of  his  busy,  working,  noisy  life,  and 
forcing  him  to  remember  the  unseen  world. 

This  prepared  the  nation  for  Christ.  Judaism  was  not  Chris- 
tianity, but  it  w^as  a  preparation  for  it.  So  God  educated  His 
young  world. 

If  we  would  view  education  in  a  right  point  of  view,  we  must 
remember  that  its  use  is  to  form  faith.  All  education  begins  with 
faith.  The  child  does  not  know  the  use  of  the  alphabet,  but  he 
trusts.     The  boy  beginning  mathematics  takes  on  trust  what  he 


66  The  Laiv  our  Schoolmaster. 

sees  no  use  in.  In  learning  science,  the  first  principles  must  be 
granted,  or  else  there  is  no  progress.  Fancy  the  child,  the  boy, 
the  tyro  in  science,  stopping  to  comprehend  the  propriety  of  the 
use  of  scientific  or  algebraical  symbols  !  The  child  has  to  take  pa- 
rental wisdom  for  granted.  Happy  the  child  that  goes  on  long 
believing  that  nothing  is  wiser,  better,  greater  than  his  father! 
Blessed  spirit  of  confiding  trust,  which  is  to  be  transferred  to  God ! 
Let  not  the  parent  infuse  suspicion  of  his  teacher  in  the  child's 
mind.  It  is  the  "  better  part  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from 
him." 

Now,  let  us  understand  what  faith  is.  It  is  just  this,  the  convic- 
tion "  what  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  here- 
after." Faith  is  trust — in  the  midst  of  the  perplexities  of  evil  to 
feel  sure  that  all  is  right,  to  believe  that  partial  evil  is  universal 
good ;  in  spite  of  all  hard  thoughts,  and  suspicious  thoughts  of 
God's  goodness  and  God's  love,  to  dare  to  call  Him  Father.  That 
is  faith,  and  that  is  to  be  first  begun  in  law  and  education. 

II.  The  time  when  restraint  may  be  laid  aside :  "  After  that 
faith  is  come,  we  are  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster." 

1.  Restraint  may  be  laid  aside,  in  the  first  place,  when  self-com- 
mand is  obtained.  Then  command  from  another  is  not  needed. 
Law  was,  to  bring  us  to  Christ ;  after  that  we  do  not  require  law. 
Now,  to  be  brought  to  Christ  is,  in  other  words,  to  have  learned 
to  act  on  principle ;  to  have  got  self-command.  Hear  Christ  de- 
scribe such  a  one:  "  If  any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny 
himself." 

Let  me  illustrate  the  principle  that  self-command  needs  no 
schoolmaster.  Some  of  us  surely  there  are  who  have  got  beyond 
childish  meanness :  we  could  not  be  mean  ;  restraint  is  no  longer 
needed ;  we  are  beyond  the  schoolmaster.  Some  of  us  there  are 
who  have  no  inclination  to  intemperance :  childish  excess  in  eat- 
ing and  drinking  exists  no  longer.  Some  of  us  there  are  who  no 
longer  love  indolence :  we  have  advanced  beyond  it;  we  love  labor. 
The  law  may  be  taken  away,  for  we  are  free  from  law.  Some  of 
us  there  are  who  could  not  steal  or  cheat  or  overreach,  who 
would  rather  suffer  loss  ourselves ;  therefore,  we  are  not  "  under  a 
schoolmaster." 

Now,  observe  what  that  expression  means — "  Free  from  law." 
There  is  a  great  mistake  about  liberty  from  law.     Some  religious 


The  Laiv  our  Schoolmaster,  6j 

persons  tliink  it  means  free,  so  that,  tliougli  you  sin,  law  will  not 
punish.  This  is  the  liberty  of  devils :  free  to  do  as  much  evil  as 
you  will,  and  yet  not  suffer.  True  Christian  liberty  is  this,  self- 
command  ;  to  have  been  brought  to  Christ ;  to  do  right  and  love 
right,  without  a  law  of  compulsion  to  school  you  into  doing  it. 
If  we  have  not  got  so  far,  the  law  has  all  its  power  hanging  over 
us  still ;  we  are  under  a  schoolmaster. 

2.  Again,  restraint  may  be  laid  aside  when  the  state  of  justifica- 
tion by  faith  has  been  attained :  "  The  law  was  our  schoolmaster 
to  bring  us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith." 

Let  me  explain  that.  Justification  is  a  state  of  acceptance  with 
God — admitted  goodness.  There  are  two  states  of  justification : 
by  the  law  and  by  faith.  Justification  by  the  law  implies  a  scru- 
pulous and  accurate  performance  of  minute  acts  of  obedience 
in  every  particular ;  justification  by  faith  is  acceptance  with  God, 
not  because  a  man  is  perfect,  but  because  he  does  all  in  a  trusting, 
large,  generous  spirit,  actuated  by  a  desire  to  please  God. 

In  a  state  of  faith  man  acts  on  principle,  and  he  gets  below  en- 
actments. For  instance,  David  at  Nob  ate  of  the  showbread, 
which  was  only  lawful  for  the  priests  to  cat.  The  disciples  ate 
the  ears  of  corn  as  they  went  through  the  fields  on  the  Sabbath- 
day.  And  the  apostle  says,  in  that  state  it  is  not  good  to  go  back 
to  the  schoolmaster.  It  is  higher  far  to  act  on  grand  principles 
than  to  act  timorously  on  small  rules.  Let  me  illustrate  this.  The 
grown  son,  living  in  his  father's  house,  may  not  hear  a  command 
for  years.  Yet  he  is  in  a  state  of  acceptance — neither  of  com- 
mendation nor  of  punishment  for  every  act.  Treat  him  as  a  child 
and  he  will  at  once  rebel.  Again,  observe,  when  a  child  returns 
to  compulsory  forms,  it  is  not  a  good  sign.  There  is  a  great  dis- 
tinction between  Judaism  and  Christianity.  In  Christianity  there 
are  few  or  no  definite  laws  ;  all  men  are  left  to  themselves.  It  is 
an  unhappy  sign  when  a  Church  multiplies  her  laws  and  makes 
them  stringent;  when  people  get  zealous  for  forms  and  small 
things,  not  as  privileges,  which  they  are,  but  as  essentials,  which 
they  are  not.     Those  are  her  days  of  dotage,  not  of  childhood. 

There  are  two  periods  when  a  tree  needs  propping — when  very 
young,  and  when  very  old.  In  the  first  case,  it  is  a  prelude  to 
strength.  But  in  some  old  park  you  may  have  seen  a  gray,  ven- 
erable oak,  past  its  prime,  but  preserved  as  a  relic  of  past  noble- 
ness ;  buttresses  hold  it  to  the  ground,  hoops  and  iron  bands  are 


68  The  Laiv  our  Schoolmaster. 

round  its  giant  limbs.  It  is  the  weakness  not  of  youth,  but  of  the 
decline  for  which  there  is  no  second  youth. 

AVe  live  in  a  day  when  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  judge  fairly 
whether  men  are  returning  to  forms  for  order's  sake,  or  whether 
from  a  want  of  faith  to  screen  them  from  scepticism,  and  from  a 
want  of  manliness  which  loves  to  cultivate  romantic  sensibility. 
Remember  "we  are  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster."  "Stand 
fast,  therefore,  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free, 
and  be  not  entangled  again  with  the  yoke  of  bondage." 

3.  Lastly,  restraint  must  be  laid  aside  when  the  time  of  faith  is 
come,  whether  faith  itself  hath  come  or  not. 

It  is  so  in  academical  education.  Childhood  and  youth  are 
past,  the  young  man  is  on  the  verge  of  manhood.  If  his  heart  be 
undisciplined,  his  mind  unregulated,  and  his  passions  unsubdued, 
then  more  than  a  child  does  he  want  restraint.  And  yet  he  is  no 
longer  under  a  schoolmaster.  So  also  in  the  religious  life.  We 
may  have  attained  the  full  intellectual  comprehension  of  the  Gos- 
pel, but  religious  goodness  has  not  kept  pace  with  it;  and  the 
man  wakes  to  conviction  that  the  Gospel  is  a  name  and  the  pow- 
ers of  the  world  to  come  are  not  in  him.  You  cannot  put  him  to 
school  again.  Fear  will  not  produce  goodness.  Forms  will  not 
give  reverence.     System  will  not  confer  freedom. 

Therefore  the  work  of  childhood  and  youth  must  be  done  while 
we  are  young,  when  the  education  is  not  too  late. 

Let  me  now  apply  this  to  parents  and  teachers. 

It  is  a  sad  fact  that  the  children  of  religious  parents  so  often 
turn  out  ill.  And  this  because  there  has  been  either  no  restraint, 
or  restraint  used  injudiciously.  In  other  words,  faith  is  used  when 
it  is  the  time  for  law,  and  law  applied  when  it  is  the  period  for 
faith.  There  has  been  an  absence  of  discipline.  Now,  discipline 
is  not  severity,  but  firmness;  calm,  quiet  training,  which  has  not 
necessitated  one  unkind  word.  There  are  some  who  expect  God 
to  do  all  the  work  of  education  as  by  a  miracle. 

I  address  parents  and  teachers.  If  there  be  a  man  for  whom  a 
heritage  of  misery  is  prepared,  a  man  who  has  cause  to  look  bit- 
terly back  on  his  instructors,  it  is  he  who  grows  up  with  an  undis- 
ciplined mind  and  heart.  Love  is  not  the  only  principle  in  educa- 
tion, nor  tenderness,  nor  faith.  Parents  make  the  error  of  appeal- 
ing to  principles  before  principles  are  there.     Teachers  preach  to 


Elijah  on  Alount  CarmcL  69 

feelings,  instead  of  issuing  commands.  Remark  that  Moses 
comes  first,  then  Christ.  The  law  is  our  schoolmaster  to  lead  us 
to  Christ. 

Another  error  of  parents  and  teachers  is  the  application  of  re- 
straint when  there  should  be  an  appeal  to  principles  and  faith. 
So  did  Jeroboam,  and  lost  ten  tribes.  So  does  a  Church  when, 
dealing  with  an  enlightened,  intellectual  age,  she  tries  severity. 
So  does  a  parent  when  he  treats  the  young  man  like  a  boy.  The 
poor  man  says,  "  I  know  not  how  my  boy  turned  out  so  ill :  I 
corrected  him  again  and  again."  Yes,  it  was  that  correction  which 
lost  you  your  child,  and  made  him  a  rebel. 

There  is  one  work  which  is  to  be  done  on  the  character  by  re- 
straint and  law,  and  there  is  another  work  which  is  to  be  done  on 
the  heart  by  faith.     Let  us  take  care  we  do  not  mistake  them. 


IX. 
ELIJAH   ON   MOUNT   CARMEL. 

(fKOM   AUTOGllAPH   NOTES.) 

Brighton^  September  25, 1847. 

"  And  Elijah  came  unto  all  the  people,  and  said,  How  long  halt  ye  between 
two  opinions  ?  If  the  Lord  be  God,  follow  him  ;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow 
him.     And  the  people  answered  him  not  a  word." — 1  Kings  xviii,  21. 

Elijah  belongs  to  a  class  of  men  specially  gifted  for  special 
purposes.  Their  weapon  is  not  love,  but  truth.  They  are  born 
not  to  win,  but  to  coerce  by  will.  Self-conquerors,  and  therefore 
subduers  of  men. 

Hence  they  are  qualified  for  reformers — they  arc  stern,  infiexi- 
ble.  Such  men  have  few  loves,  and  few  private  affections.  Their 
life  is  public ;  their  interests  national,  not  private.  Hence  their 
characters  are  sad,  for  they  are  separated  from  sympathy :  but 
hence,  also,  are  they  elevated.  The  less  they  have  of  a  home  here, 
the  more  they  make  themselves  a  home  in  the  awful  other  world, 
and  find  sympathy  in  God.  Such  a  man  was  the  Baptist,  antl 
such  was  Elijah.  The  spirit  of  the  old  Jewish  character  had  de- 
scended on  them  ;  that  race  of  heroes,  disciplined  by  law,  iron — 
severe,  like  Jephthah  and  Joshua. 


70  Elijah  on  Moiint  Carincl. 

Elijah  mourned  over  his  degenerate  countrymen ;  and  bhished 
for  the  effeminacy,  voluptuousness,  and  idolatry  of  his  apostate 
countrymen. 

He  gave  his  challenge.  The  people  came,  the  court,  the  nobles, 
and  the  priests.  One  man  meets  them,  with  no  nobility  but  the 
nobility  of  earnestness,  with  no  credentials  but  the  priesthood  of 
the  truth  and  the  power  of  the  right. 

The  first  salute — "How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions? 
If  the  Lord  be  God,  follow  Him ;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him  " 
— expresses  two  things : 

I.  Indecision  of  character :  "  How  long  halt  ye  between  two 
opinions?" 

II.  Keligious  earnestness :  "  If  the  Lord  be  God,  follow  Him ; 
if  Baal,  then  follow  him." 

I.  Indecision  of  character:  "How  long  halt  ye  between  two 
opinions?"  "Halt,"  literally,  to  limp,  go  lame;  implying  pain 
and  instability.  P«m,  the  first  idea  that  strikes  one  on  seeing  the 
injured  limb  come  to  the  ground  with  a  shock.  The  pitiable  and 
cruel  state  of  the  man  who  cannot  make  up  his  mind.  Instohil- 
ity,  the  awkward  motion  between  higher  and  lower  ground,  with 
danger  of  a  fall.  So  in  indecision :  one  moment  on  the  higher 
ground  of  principle,  the  next  on  the  lower  one  of  interest.  You 
cannot  calculate  on  such  a  man.  St.  James's  comparison  is, 
"  wavering  like  waves  of  the  sea ;"  unstable  element,  a  mirror  to- 
day reflecting  the  tints  of  heaven,  to-morrow  turbid,  and  the  day 
after  foaming  in  fury. 

1.  The  first  cause  of  this  arose  from  the  multiplicity  of  opin- 
ions. There  had  been  a  split  between  Judah  and  Israel.  The 
question  was  one  of  antiquity  as  to  v/hich  is  the  true  Church. 
The  appeal  was  to  ancient  documents.  Men  looked  on,  and  said 
it  was  a  priests'  squabble.  A  new  religion  was  now  introduced  by 
Jezebel  from  Sidon,  and  men  asked  themselves  wdiether  Jehovah's 
worship  or  Baal's  differed  much,  after  all. 

There  is,  too,  a  multiplicity  of  opinion  in  our  own  time. 
Hence  the  halting;  the  appeal  to  antiquity  as  to  which  is  the 
true  Church.  Sarcastic  men  and  sad  men  look  on.  The  sarcastic 
say.  After  all,  is  one  creed  better  than  another?  Sad  men  doubt : 
they  go  to  Rome  or  dissent ;  or  they  remain  perplexed  and 
doubting,  and  ask,  "  What  is  truth  ?" 


ElijaJi  on  Mount  Canncl.  7 1 

2.  The  second  cause  arose  from  religious  inconsistencies. 

Men  asked,  Which  religion  produced  the  most  godlike  charac- 
ters? They  could  arrive  at  no  decision.  Jezebel  is  the  type  of 
Baalism.  But  then  there  are  Nadab  and  Baasha,  Zimri  and  Omri, 
and  now  Ahab !  not  much  to  choose  between  them. 

In  our  own  day  earnest  men  are  kept  by  religious  inconsisten- 
cies at  a  distance.  When  they  see  men  standing  apart,  they 
watch,  and  they  hear  discussions  about  popular  preachers.  They 
observe  that  in  honesty,  self-government,  punctuality,  and  such- 
like matters,  such  men  are  no  better  than  others.  Jezebel  was  the 
worldly  woman  exclusively  on  worldly  principles ;  Ahab  was  the 
religious  man,  but  worldly  withal.  The  only  difference  between 
them  is  that  Jezebel  is  the  more  honest  of  the  two. 

3.  The  third  cause  arose  from  a  desire  to  please  men.  This  in 
three  forms  produces  indecision. 

First,  over-amiability.  Nothing  falsifies  the  character  like  soft- 
ness ;  the  want  of  power  to  say  No,  when  it  would  give  pain. 
Eli  was  not  a  bad  man,  but  there  was  a  softness  and  feebleness  of 
character  which  left  him  powerless  to  say  No  to  his  sons. 

Secondly,  love  of  popularity.  To  be  the  universal  favorite! 
Ordinarily,  how  dangerous ! — "  Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall 
speak  well  of  you !  for  so  did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets." 

Let  us  paint  a  universal  favorite  who  offends  none.  Pilate 
wished  to  save  Jesus,  so  far  as  he  could  do  it  consistently  with  his 
own  popularity.  The  Pharisees  knew  his  weak  point,  "  If  thou 
let  this  Man  go,  thou  art  not  CiEsar's  friend."  He  did  not  dare  to 
he  Caesar's  friend  without  seeming  it.  He  tried  at  the  same  time 
not  to  offend  the  other  party.  lie  washed  his  hands,  and  deliv- 
ered Jesus  to  be  crucified.  Remark,  this  crime  was  committed 
not  by  a  bad  man,  but  by  one  who  was  made  undecided  by  a  love 
of  popularity. 

Thirdly,  the  wish  to  please  our  own  party.  Some  can  stand 
against  the  world  if  friends  be  with  them ;  but  the  difficurty  lies 
in  acting  on  conscience  against  friends.  We  know  the  miserable 
indecision  of  the  statesman  who  longs  to  vote  against  his  own 
party,  and  will  not ;  and  of  the  religious  man  who  fears  suspicion 
when  he  dare  not  act  against  his  friends. 

4.  The  fourth  cause  arises  from  selfishness.  If  we  appeal  to 
our  own  experience,  we  find  that  when  indecision  was  wretched, 
interest  and  self  were  the  elements  that  made  it  so.     We  put  one 


72  Elijah  on  Mount  Cai'incl. 

pleasure  over  against  another,  like  a  child  vacillating  between 
grapes  and  glittering  red  cherries.  Alas !  men  for  things  as 
wretched,  hesitate ;  torture  self  because  they  fear  to  lose ;  and 
choose  wrongly.  Or,  again,  when  interest  is  on  one  side  and  duty 
on  the  other.  Never,  indeed,  does  indecision  last  long  where  the 
question  is  truly  about  duty ;  then  the  way  becomes  clear :  or  if 
a  man  errs,  there  is  no  remorse.  Balaam  saw  his  duty  clear  at 
night ;  but  the  next  day  he  looked  again  and  he  saw  the  glitter- 
ing bribe.  He  could  not  be  sure  ;  at  last  he  thought  God's  voice 
said.  Go.  Marvellous  is  it  that  thoroughly  worldly  men  are  more 
straightforward  than  men  half-religious. 

Now  choose,  and  choose  in  earnest.  Serve  God ;  but  don't  re- 
gret. If  the  man  of  business. will  be  honest,  he  will  suffer.  But 
what  does  he  win  ?  He  wins  a  clear  conscience,  pure  self -approval, 
God. 

Or  else  choose  the  world;  but  do  it  thoroughly.  Say  to 
pleasure.  Be  thou  my  god ;  say  to  gain,  I  worship  thee ;  say  to 
ambition,  I  consecrate  my  energies  to  attain  thee.  And  the 
world  will  give  you  pleasure.  Baal  has  his  rewards.  Happy  while 
life  lasts ;  and  then — ay — what  then  ? 

II.  Eeligious  earnestness.  "  If  the  Lord  be  God,  follow  Him  ; 
but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him." 

Religious  earnestness  was  marked  in  Elijah — 

1.  By  self-forgetful ness.  Was  Elijah  whispering,  "Now  I  am 
doing  a  brave  thing ;  people's  eyes  are  on  me  ?"  This  is  the  finest 
scene  in  Scripture.  Elijah  was  quite  unconscious  that  he  was 
making  a  scene.  He  had  lost  himself  in  his  cause.  Hence  the 
people  understood  that  it  was  no  contest  between  Elijah  and  the 
priests,  but  between  Baal  and  God.  Hence  they  did  not  exclaim, 
"Elijah,"  but  the  "Lord,"  He  is  God. 

All  sincerity  forgets  egotism.  Moses'  skin  shone,  but  he  "  ivist 
not  that  the  skin  of  his  face  shone." 

2.  By  action  instead  of  speculation.  Remark,  Elijah  Avas  in  a 
schismatic  Church.  Speculative  minds  would  have  dreamed  of 
outward  unity,  and  thought  that  nothing  could  be  done  till  that 
was  got — or  of  a  millennial  state.  Elijah  acted  as  he  was,  and 
where  he  was.  The  work  given  him  was  not  to  restore  unity,  but 
to  destroy  unbelief  in  individual  hearts.  All  earnestness  does  that, 
it  acts.     Do  the  duty  next  you,  leave  the  rest  to  develop  itself. 


Elijah  on  Moitnt  Carmel.  73 

3.  By  sternness  and  unmeasured  language.  Elijah  mocked  the 
priests  of  Baal.  He  killed  tliera.  AVe  are  not  concerned  to  de- 
fend tliis.  The  Jewish  spirit  differed  from  the  Christian.  Yet 
observe,  it  marked  earnestness.  It  is  a  precedent  to  interpret  char- 
acter. Among  the  charges  against  Luther  was  this,  that  he  was 
not  so  delicate  in  his  language  against  opponents  as  modern  soft- 
ness requires.  Were  the  prophets  ?  Was  Elijah  ?  John  the  Bap- 
tist? Christ  Himself?  In  matters  of  life  and  death,  men  cannot 
pick  words.  Let  cavillers  breathe  for  one  hour  the  air  which  such 
men  breathed,  feel  their  zeal  for  God,  their  hatred  of  hypocrisy  ; 
feel  their  soul  blazing  up  with  earnestness — then  they  may  judge 
of  terms. 

4.  By  resting  on  his  own  heart  and  conscience.  Consider  what 
might  have  been  said.  The  world  is  against  you,  the  wdse,  the 
court,  the  priesthood ;  this  is  presumption.  What  was  Elijah's 
answer  ?  Numbers  are  not  the  test  of  truth,  but  the  voice  Avithin 
clear.  The  world  against  Elijah.  Well,  then,  in  the  name  of  God 
and  truth,  Elijah  against  the  w^orld. 

This  opens  the  question  of  the  Protestant  right  of  private  judg- 
ment. It  has  its  use  and  its  abuse.  Its  abuse  is  seen  when  young 
persons  dare  to  say  their  Church  is  wrong ;  or  when  persons  in 
the  world  of  fashion  and  idleness,  guiltless  of  thought,  ignorant 
of  the  discipline  required  for  investigating  truth,  venture  to  decide 
about  opinions,  as  if  it  were  just  as  easy  as  to  decide  about  the 
last  new  fashion,  and  quietly  say.  The  last  sermon  was  not  Gospel. 

Young  brethren,  Elijah  judged  independently.  But  remark, 
Elijah  was  a  grown  man ;  he  had  fasted  and  prayed,  he  had  lived 
alone,  pondered ;  and  when  he  did  defy  his  Church  and  country's 
judgment,  he  was  preparing  for  probable  death.  The  next  time 
you  are  inclined  to  be  flippant,  remember  that  Elijah's  character 
alone  can  qualify  for  Elijah's  judgment. 

Let  me  say  in  application — 

1.  Remark  the  power  of  earnestness  to  produce  a  miracle.  Who 
is  he  that  brings  down  fire  from  heaven  but  he  that  believes  ?  Its 
power  to  gain  influence — but,  observe,  only  by  degrees.  Its  power 
to  diffuse  faith.     It  communicates  itself,  it  works  a  reformation. 

2.  I  address  boys.  Boy,  standing  alone  in  school,  was  not  Eli- 
jah's a  fine  character?     Yours  may  be  just  as  fine. 

4 


74  Growth  into  Christ  in  Love  and  Truth. 


GROWTH  INTO   CHRIST  IN  LOVE  AND  TRUTH. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton,  October  3,  1847. 

"But  speaking  the  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things,  which 
is  the  head,  even  Christ." — Eph.  iv.  15. 

The  previous  verse  describes  Christian  childhood,  this  verse 
Christian  manhood.  The  characteristics  of  childhood  are  insta- 
bility of  character,  unfixedness  of  opinion,  and  credulity.  All  of 
which,  natural  and  even  graceful  in  a  child,  are  in  a  man  weak- 
ness, unfitness  for  life,  and  folly.  Manhood  is  truth,  love,  like- 
ness to  Christ. 

We  therefore  consider : 

I.  The  standard  of  Christian  excellence :  "  the  head,  even  Christ." 

II.  Christian  progress  towards  that  standard :  "  We  grow  up 
into  him  in  all  things." 

I.  Christ's  Headship. 

1.  The  prominent  notion  suggested  is  His  rank  in  the  universe. 
He  rules  as  God  in  creation.  But  evidently  the  apostle  does  not 
mean  this  in  the  text.  We  are  to  grow  into  Him  as  Head.  Growth 
into  Christ's  Godhead  is  impossible.  Godlike  we  may,  God  we 
cannot  even  by  truth  and  love,  become. 

2.  He  is  the  Head,  as  being  the  source  of  sph-itual  life. 

This  is  implied  in  metaphor.  The  highest  life-powers — sensa- 
tion, feeling,  thought — come  from  the  brain. 

To  one  who  has  read  the  history  of  those  times,  there  is  an 
emphatic  truth  in  Christ's  being  the  Life  of  the  world.  The  world 
was  dead  when  Christ  came. 

Look  at  the  Roman  world.  There  is  no  belief ;  all  is  hollow,  all 
pretence.  Diana  is  great ;  to  make  her  image  gives  employment 
to  a  craft.     The  capital  of  the  Roman  Empire  is  a  metropolis  of 


Growth  into  Christ  in  Love  and  Triith,  75 

abomination.  Read  what  was  going  on  at  Rome  and  Baia3.  The 
heathen  heart  had  every  fibre  rotted. 

Turn  to  Judaism.  The  Pharisees  were  clinging  to  forms  from 
which  hfe  had  long  since  died  out,  and  were  hanging  over  them 
as  you  hang  over  a  corpse  whose  features  present  the  illusion  of 
life.  The  Sadducees,  too  honest  to  believe  this,  said,  "  We  are  in- 
fidels." Others,  with  minds  too  honest  to  believe  in  forms,  and 
hearts  too  affectionate  to  rest  in  infidelity,  were  gasping,  languish- 
ing, sadly  hoping  for  better  times. 

The  world  was  like  a  raft  becalmed  in  the  tropics :  some  of  its 
freiojht  dead  and  bakino-  in  the  sun,  some  suckino;  as  if  for  moist- 
ure  from  dried  casks,  and  some  sadly,  faintly  looking  for  a  sail. 
Christ's  coming  to  that  world  was  as  life  to  the  dead,  imparting 
new  impulse  to  human  heart  and  human  nature.  It  was  like  rain 
and  wind  coming  to  that  bark — once  more  it  cuts  the  sea,  guided 
by  a  living  hand. 

So  also  with  each  man  who  drinks  Christ's  spirit.  He  becomes 
a  living  character.  Not  sustained  on  dogmas,  or  taken  up  with 
opinions,  but  alive  with  Christ.  .  .  . 

In  this  sense,  to  grow  into  Christ  is  to  get  fresh  spiritual  energy. 
The  child  and  the  man  become  equally  alive  ;  but  in  the  man  it  is 
developed  life :  "  I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and  that 
they  might  have  it  more  abundantly." 

3.  He  is  Head,  as  chief  of  the  human  race. 

Never  had  the  world  seen,  never  again  will  it  see,  such  a  char- 
acter. Imagine  exotics  beneath  our  inclement  sky.  They  grow 
indeed,  but  they  cannot  thrive.  A  foreigner  would  scarcely  recog- 
nize them  as  intended  for  the  plants  of  his  own  country.  Imagine 
one  such  plant  in  peculiar  circumstances  lighting  on  a  kindly  soil, 
in  a  sheltered  spot,  and  with  its  innate  vigor  reaching  perfection. 
That  would  be  the  realized  idea  of  the  plant.  Such  was  Christ 
among  other  men.  Humanity  found  in  Him  a  genial  soil,  and 
realized  God's  idea  of  what  man  was  meant  to  be. 

He  is  Chief.     Nothing  comes  near  Him. 

Last  Sunday  we  contemplated  Elijah,  and  saw  that  he  w^as  no 
common  man,  but  one  unearthly,  borne  away  in  a  flame  chariot. 
Yet  we  feel  that  Elijah  is  measurable  :  we  can  conceive  the  daring 
of  Carmel ;  his  weakness  in  the  desert  brings  him  near  to  us. 
The  passionate  disappointment  of  a  proud  but  high  spirit  we  can 
understand.     Now  turn  to  that  character !  "  The  first  man  is  of 


'j6  Groivth  into  Christ  in  Love  and  Truth. 

the  earth,  earthy :  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from  heaven." 
Christ  is  firm,  unconquerable,  true  to  the  cause  of  God  and  man ; 
but  also  loving,  tender,  gentle.  Choose  that  type.  He  is  the  one 
model,  the  one  type.  Ilave  no  other.  Before  that  all  earthly  ex- 
cellence fades.     All  dims  before  our  glorious  Head. 

11.  Progress  towards  the  standard  of  Christian  excellence  :  "  We 
grow  up  into  Him  in  all  things." 

Let  us  inquire  what  progress  means ;  and  the  approved  mode 
of  progress. 

i.  Progress  is  made  in  likeness  to  Him,  and  in  comprehension 
of  His  character. 

1.  Growth  in  likeness  to  Him.  The  human  soul  was  formed 
for  growth,  and  that  growth  is  infinite.  The  acorn  grows  into  the 
oak,  the  child  into  the  philosopher.  And  at  death  the  soul  is  not 
declining,  it  is  as  vigorous  as  ever.  Hence,  nothing  but  an  infinite 
standard  will  measure  the  growth  of  the  soul  of  man. 

Observe,  moreover,  tlie  universality  in  this  growth ;  "  in  all 
things  " — completeness  of  character.  Completeness,  however,  is 
not  perfection.  Take  a  field  in  which  in  some  parts  the  crop  is 
abundant ;  in  places  thin,  and  low  and  yellow.  Such  are  some 
characters.  Where  the  natural  soil  favors,  graces  are  cultivated  ; 
where  it  is  adverse,  the  character  is  not  grown  into  Christ.  The 
man  is  generous,  but,  it  may  be,  bad-tempered,  etc. 

Completeness  is  proportion:  the  field  all  grown. equally.  St. 
Paul  says,  "  Grow  in  all  things." 

2.  Growth  in  comprehension  of  Him.  Christ  is  not  comprehen- 
sible at  first.  He  is  not  appreciated  in  our  childhood.  Elijah's 
character  is  more  striking  to  a  child.  Christ's  is  too  calm,  too 
pure,  too  inwardly  great  for  the  child's  mind.  A  mountain  dis- 
appoints at  first.  You  arrive  at  night  full  of  expectation.  You 
look  out  next  morning  and  are  disappointed.  But  after  you  have 
lived  beside  it  for  weeks,  and  seen  it  in  all  lights,  it  grows  upon 
you.  Go  where  you  will,  there  is  the  old  white  peak,  shooting 
up  to  heaven,  serene  and  calm,  looking  down  on  the  smaller 
peaks — the  giant  and  the  monarch  of  them  all. 

So  the  young  man  forms  ideals  of  excellence  for  himself — only 
by  degrees  does  he  appreciate  Christ.  Dazzled  by  military  life, 
he  wishes  to  fall  in  a  cavalry  charge  ;  he  knows  nothing  higher 
till  the  time  comes  when  he  begins  to  feel  that  to  save  men's  lives 


Grozvth  into  Christ  in  Love  and  TrutJi,  yy 

is  better  tlian  to  destroy  life.  His  next  ideal  may  be  intellectual 
superiority.  He  dreams  of  eloquence,  and  thinks  it  dazzling  to 
hold  a  senate  still.  To  be  an  orator,  retaining  a  thousand  men 
as  one,  eyes  speaking  to  eyes,  heart  to  heart — the  dominion  of 
mind  !  But  this  is  shared  by  base  and  bad  men.  Or,  it  may  be, 
his  ideal  is  the  ascetic  life.  This  is  a  temptation  to  ardent  hearts. 
Many  now  go  to  Rome  for  this  reason.  But,  after  all,  it  is  a  use- 
less life,  and  a*  refined  form  of  selfishness. 

Then  the  man  turns  to  Christ.  He  finds  in  Him,  not  the  war- 
rior, but  "  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of."  Not 
the  man  of  intellect,  but  "  Become  as  a  little  child."  Not  the 
ascetic,  but  a  man  found  in  common  life,  at  the  marriage-feast  of 
Cana,  in  the  loving  family  of  Bethany.  Words  cannot  express 
the  awe  with  which  a  man  contemplates  that  character  when  it  is 
understood.  This  is  the  true  heroic  ;  this  the  only  Godlike ;  this 
the  real  Divine.  From  all  types  of  human  excellence  I  have  made 
my  choice  for  life  and  death — Christ. 

ii.  The  approved  means  of  growth,  the  mode  of  progress: 
"  Speaking  the  truth  in  love." 

Truth  and  love — and  these  joined. 

There  are  two  forms  of  character  :  one  distinguished  by  strong 
love  for  what  is  true,  the  other  by  vivid  perception  of  what  is 
beautiful;  one  forming  the  man  of  integrity,  the  other  the  man 
of  tenderness. 

Each  has  its  peculiar  faults,  and  each  is  corrected  by  the 
other. 

Compare,  for  instance,  Northern  and  Southern  Europe.  The 
Northern  nations  are  honest  and  true ;  the  Southern  nations  are 
tender.  The  South  is  the  home  of  beauty — arts,  music,  refine- 
ment. 

Compare  Protestantism  and  Romanism.  Truth  by  itself  degen- 
erates into  sternness,  as  in  the  case  of  Puritanism.  Hard,  inflex- 
ible— no  elegance,  no  tenderness — it  pronounces  the  sentence  of 
death  unmoved.  Then  look  at  the  Roman  devotee,  and  we  find 
much  of  superstition,  falsehood,  and  voluptuousness.  If  we  must 
choose,  then  heart  and  soul  we  are  for  the  Puritan. 

But  to  "  grow  into  Christ "  we  must  have  both  traits  of  char- 
acter. 

Would  you  be  like  Christ  ?  Cultivate  love  of  beauty  and  ten- 
derness.    His  soul  was  alive  to  beauty.     He  noted  the  rising  and 


78  Grozuth  into  Christ  in  Love  and  Truth. 

the  setting  sun,  tlic  waving  corn,  the  lily  of  the  field.  His  vras 
love  which  insult  could  not  ruffle,  nor  ribaldry  imbitter ;  and 
which  only  grew  sweeter  and  sweeter. 

Would  you  be  like  Christ  ?  Be  true.  He  never  swerved.  He 
was  a  martyr  to  truth.  Would  He  soften  down  truth  for  the 
young  man  whom  He  loved,  or  make  it  pakxtable  ?  No  ;  not  for 
friendship,  not  for  love,  nor  for  all  the  lovely  things  this  v/orld  has 
to  show :  "  One  thing  thou  lackest :  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and 
distribute  unto  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven  : 
and  come,  follow  Me."     That  was  "  speaking  the  truth  in  love." 

I  address  the  man  of  truth.  You  hate  hypocrisy,  cant,  pre- 
tence. You  are  a  man  of  business,  of  intellect ;  you  have  all  the 
elements  of  a  fine  character,  if  they  are  Christianized.  But  join 
to  them  love.  Your  danger  is  sternness,  wounding  men  with  cut- 
ting words.     Your  character  wants  the  polish  of  love. 

I  address  the  mnn  of  tenderness,  of  accomplishments  and  refine- 
ment. Your  danger,  if  you  look  in  upon  yourself,  is  superstition. 
The  sharp  edge  of  truthfulness  is  lost.  There  is  only  one  step  be- 
tween softness  and  impurity  of  feeling.  Join  that  tenderness  with 
truth,  if  you  would  grow  into  Christ. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  add  one  word  of  application.  There  is 
no  good  to  be  got  from  Christ  except  by  being  made  like  Him. 
There  is  no  pardon,  no  blessing,  separate  from  inward  improve- 
ment. Sanctity  of  character  alone  blesses.  Each  man  is  his  own 
hell  and  his  own  heaven.  God  Himself  cannot  bless  you  unless 
He  gives  you  His  own  character. 


Spirittial  Worship.  79 


XI. 

SPIPvITUAL  WORSHIP,    (l.) 

(from  autograph  notes.) 
Brighton,  October  10,  1847. 

"Jesiis  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh  when  ye 
shall  neither  in  tliis  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  worship  the  Father. 
Ye  worsliip  ye  know  not  what :  we  know  what  we  worship,  for  salvation  is 
of  the  Jews.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers 
shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth  :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such 
to  worship  him.  God  is  a  Spirit :  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." — John  iv.  21-24. 

Christ  rests  on  the  narrow  rocky  road  between  Gerizim  and 
Ebal,  before  entering  Sycliar,  near  a  well.  A  Samaritan  woman 
comes  to  draw  water.  He  asks  for  a  draught.  There  had  been  a 
long  controversy  between  the  Jews  and  Samaritans  as  to  the 
whereabouts  of  worship  ;  and  this  turned  on  an  antiquarian  point 
as  to  which  was  the  correct  reading  in  Deuteronomy  xxvii.  Hence 
arose  theological  rancor.  The  Jews  had  no  dealings  with  the 
Samaritans  except  in  traffic  and  business  ;  no  giving  or  askino- 
kindness.  The  woman,  brought  up  in  this  system  of  malignity, 
marvels  at  Christ  putting  Himself  under  an  obligation  to  her,  a 
Samaritan. 

In  the  conversation  that  ensued,  Christ's  uncommon  character 
appeared  to  her.  Instantly,  thinking  the  period  was  arrived  for 
the  solution  of  the  controversy,  she  puts  the  question,  partly  to 
escape  from  a  conversation  which  was  becoming  too  personal, 
partly  from  that  love  of  controversy  which  is  so  common  in  us  all. 
But  Christ  had  no  intention  that  it  should  end  so.  Hence  He 
takes  the  opportunity  of  defining  spiritual  worship. 

Our  subject  divides  itself  into  : 

I.  Errors  which  have  interfered  with  purity  of  religious  wor- 
ship. 

II.  The  nature  of  the  worship  which  God  accepts. 


8o  Spiritual  Worship, 

I.  Errors  wliicli  have  interfered  with  purity  of  religious  worship. 

1.  The  first  error  arises  from  a  tendency  to  localize  God.  Her 
question  was,  in  fact,  "  Where  ?"  Christ's  reply  was,  "  Nowhere 
in  particular ;  everywhere." 

This  question  lies  at  the  root  of  all  superstition.  It  is  observ- 
able among  the  heathen,  who  confine  the  agency  of  a  god  to  a  cer- 
tain district ;  among  the  uneducated  poor  of  our  own  country,  in 
their  notions  of  a  cemetery ;  and  among  the  more  refined,  in  the 
clinging  mysterious  idea  which  they  attach  to  a  church,  an  altar, 
and  the  elements  of  the  sacrament. 

Let  us  define  what  we  mean  by  sanclity  of  place.  It  is  a  thing 
merely  subjective,  not  objective  ;  it  is  relative  to  us.  It  belongs 
to  that  law  of  association  by  which  a  train  of  ideas  returns  more 
easily  by  suggestion  in  some  one  place  than  in  another.  Worship 
in  a  festive  room  or  over  a  shop  would  suggest  notions  unconge- 
nial with  devotion.  Hence  the  use  of  setting  apart,  or  consecrat- 
ing, places  for  worship.  There  is  no  other  sanctity  of  place.  Trans- 
fer what  is  in  you  to  the  place,  and  you  verge  on  superstition. 
Therefore,  the  church,  the  altar,  etc.,  are  not  holy  —  God  is  not 
there. 

We  hear  an  objection  to  this.  It  is  said  to  be  dangerous  to  say 
this :  it  will  unsettle  people's  minds ;  a  little  of  this  illusion  is 
wholesome,  especially  for  the  poor.  To  this  I  reply,  in  the  first 
place,  Christ  did  not  so  reason.  Consider  how  unsettling  this  was 
to  the  woman.  The  little  religion  she  had  clung  to  Gerizim. 
The  shock  of  being  told  that  it  was  not  holy  might  have  unsettled 
all  her  religion.  Did  Christ  hesitate  one  moment  ?  And,  in  the 
second  place,  we  are  only  concerned  with  truth.  Some  people  are 
afraid  of  truth.  As  if  God's  truth  could  be  dangerous!  The 
straight  road  is  ever  the  nearest.  People  must  bear,  and  shall, 
what  an  earnest  mind  dares  to  say.  Is  God  there  or  not?  If 
not,  at  our  peril  we  say  He  is. 

The  holiest  place !  Is  this  church  holy  ?  Yes,  if  a  holy  con- 
gregation be  in  it ;  if  not,  it  is  brick  and  mortar.  Which  is  the 
holiest  place  in  it  ?  The  altar  ?  Nay ;  the  spirit  of  the  holiest 
man  present.  Which  is  the  holiest  place  on  earth  ?  Not  where 
architecture,  music,  solemn  aisles,  or  fretted  roof  yield  their  spell ; 
but,  perhaps,  a  wretched  pallet  on  which  one  of  Christ's  humblest 
ones  is  dying,  or  a  square  foot  of  ground  on  which  an  heroic  Chris- 
tian stands. 


spiritual  Worship.  8i 

2.  A  second  error  arises  from  the  idea  that  forms  are  immuta- 
ble. "Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain,"  therefore  wo 
must. 

Let  me  explain  what  a  form  is.  It  is  the  shape  in  which  an 
age  expresses  a  feeling.  The  spirit  of  religion  remains,  but  the 
expression  alters. 

There  is,  for  instance,  the  present  love  of  antiquity.  Let  us  do 
it  justice.  Enthusiasm  is  always  lovely  —  it  is  far  better  than 
coolnesss ;  but  is  it  right  ? 

There  is  a  wish  to  restore  the  observances  and  the  rubrics  of 
the  early  Church.  I  will  try  to  show  why  it  is  now  not  necessary  : 
the  times  are  altered.  Religion  'is  domestic  now,  then  it  was 
social.  .  .  .  Public  daily  prayer  would  be  a  mistake  now.  .  .  . 

3.  A  third  error  arises  from  ignorance:  "  Ye  worship  ye  know 
not  what." 

There  is  a  feeling  of  devoutness  inherent  in  the  human  mind. 
We  hear  the  solemn  tones  of  a  child  when  repeating  his  prayer 
or  hymns.  Before  what  is  greater,  wiser,  better  than  himself  man 
bows  instinctively.  But  the  question  is,  lohat  will  he  worship? 
We  distinguish,  therefore,  between  instinctive  devoutness  and  en- 
lightened worship. 

To  many  there  are  three  deities — Power,  Wisdom,  Goodness. 

The  heathen  bent  before  Power.  The  universe  was  alive  with 
deity  to  him  :  he  saw  God  in  the  whirlwind,  in  the  lightning,  and 
the  thunder.     This  is  ignorance. 

The  philosopher  is  above  this.  He  bows  before  AYisdom.  Sci- 
ence tells  him  of  electricity,  gravitation,  force.  He  looks  down  on 
warm  devoutness ;  for  he  sees  only  contrivance  and  mind  in  Nat- 
ure. He  admires  all  calmly,  without  enthusiasm.  He  calls  it 
Rational  religion.     This,  also,  is  ignorance. 

The  spiritual  man  bows  before  Goodness :  "  The  true  worship- 
pers worship  the  Father ;"  "  We  know  what  we  worship,  for  sal- 
vation is  of  the  Jews  " — that  is,  God  is  intelligible  in  Christ  as 
Love,  Goodness,  Purity.     None  but  this  is  intelligent  worship. 

4.  A  fourth  error  is  a  mistake  about  the  nature  of  reverence. 

To  have  no  veneration  is  to  have  no  religion.  But  let  me  ex- 
plain what  reverence  is.  This  Samaritan  woman  had  what  they 
call  reverence,  veneration  for  antiquity,  zeal  for  her  Church,  lin- 
gering recollections  of  the  old  mountain,  respect  for  a  prophet. 
But  what  was  her  life?     He  with  whom  she  then  lived  was  not 

4* 


82  spiritual  Worship. 

her  husband.  In  other  words,  reverence,  veneration,  awe,  are  a 
class  of  feeUngs  which  belong  to  the  imagination,  and  are  neither 
good  nor  bad :  they  may.  go  along  with  religion,  but  also  they 
may  not.  A  man  may  kneel  to  sublime  things,  yet  never  have 
bent  his  heart  to  goodness  and  purity.  A  man  may  be  reveren- 
tial, and  yet  impure. 

[Show  this  from  Tyrolese  chamois-hunter — and  all  the  nonsense 
that  travellers  talk  of  the  devoutness  of  mountain  people.*] 

Next  examine  a  man  who  is  called  irreverent.  Constitutionally 
so  framed  that  he  does  not  happen  to  thrill  at  painted  windows, 
Gothic  architecture,  and  solemn  music :  is  he,  therefore,  without 
veneration  ?  Take  him  out  into  God's  grand  universe,  or  put  be- 
fore him  Christ's  character:  is  there  no  adoration,  no  deep,  in- 
tense love  ?  Tell  him  of  a  self-denying  action :  \%  there  no  moist- 
ure in  his  eye  ?  Tempt  him  to  meanness :  is  there  no  indignant 
scorn  ?  The  man  has  bowed  his  soul  before  Justice,  Mercy,  Truth, 
and  therefore  stands  erect  before  everything  else  which  this  world 
calls  sublime. 

II.  True  character  of  spiritual  worship. 

1.  It  consists  in  a  right  appreciation  of  God's  character. 

Here  it  is  presented  in  a  twofold  aspect :  "  God  is  a  Sjnrlt ;" 
and  "The  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father.'''' 

What  is  meant  by  spirit  ?  There  are  false  notions  which  regard 
it  as  attenuated  gas,  a  wreath  of  air  or  vapor.  Observe,  this  is 
only  subtle  materialism. 

Consider  the  universe,  with  the  sun  and  stars,  the  harmony  of 
the  planets.  All  this  force,  order,  harmony — that  is  God.  This 
spring  season,  with  bursting  vegetation  —  its  life  is  God.  Our 
own  minds,  their  thought  and  feeling — that  is  spirit.  God,  there- 
fore, is  the  Mind  of  the  universe.  Force,  law,  harmony — all  this 
is  God.  And  yet  remark  the  coldness  of  this,  for  He  is  thus  re- 
vealed only  as  a  God  for  the  intellect,  not  for  the  heart. 

Therefore  for  the  heart  He  is  revealed  as  a  Father.  Consider 
the  endearing  meaning  of  this  word — in  it  tenderness  is  united 
with  reverence.  Let  us  fasten  on  one  meaning  out  of  many.  Let 
us  take  the  work  of  a  father  in  education.  Consider  the  use  of 
this  rugged,  stubborn,  material  world  to  invigorate  the  mind  by 

*  See  "Life  and  Letters."  Letter  dated  Botzen,  September  28,  18t0. 
(Page  GG,  People's  Edition.) 


spiritual  Worship.  83 

trying  it  against  difficulties.  Agriculture,  steam  navigation,  are 
the  result.  Consider  the  use  of  suffering.  The  cross  is  the  em- 
blem of  life.  It  is  only  through  struggle,  through  difficulty,  that 
the  soul  can  be  invigorated.  All  that  is  a  fatherly  work.  Who 
would  wish  to  have  his  child  luxurious,  rich,  indolent,  rather  than 
see  him  in  honest  poverty,  struggling  with  sorrow  ?  This  explains 
what  would  otherwise  be  this  "  unintelligible  world."  We  can 
take  the  bitter  draught  thankfully.  "  The  cup  which  my  Father 
hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?" 

2.  Next,  spiritual  worship  consists  in  spiritual  character.  The 
true  worshippers  are  those  who  "  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
in  truth." 

That  is,  holy  character  is  a  kind  of  worship.  All  true  life  is 
worship :  "  Worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness;"  "Lo,  I 
come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  Lord."  Before  a  material  God  a  material 
knee  would  have  to  bow.  Before  a  spiritual  God,  nothing  but  the 
prostration  of  the  spirit  can  be  acceptable. 

*'  He  prayeth  well  who  loveth  well 
Both  man  and  bird  and  beast." 

Love  is  a  kind  of  prayer — the  truest  lif ting-up  of  the  soul. 

One  w^ord  of  application. 

1.  Christ  came  to  bring  man's  spirit  into  immediate  contact 
with  God's  Spirit;  to  sweep  away  everything  intermediate.  In 
lonely  union,  face  to  face,  man's  spirit  and  God's  Spirit  must  come 
together.  It  is  a  grand  thought !  Aspire  to  this !  Aspire  to 
greatness,  goodness !  So  let  your  spirit  mingle  with  the  Spirit  of 
the  Everlasting. 

2.  Scripture  insists  on  truth  of  character.  God  is  made  known 
as  a  real  God.  The  worshipper  is  to  be  a  real  character.  The 
Christian  must  be  a  true  man — transparent,  who  can  bear  to  be 
looked  through  and  through.  There  must  be  no  pretence;  no 
gilded  tinsel — true  gold  all  through. 


84  Tears  of  Jesus. 


xir. 

TEARS  OF  JESUS. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Trinitj  Chapel,  Brighton,  March  5,  1848. 

"Jesus  wept." — John  xi.  35. 

Christianity  is  God  manifest  in  the  flesh. 

Christianity  is  contained  in  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ. 

To  adore  Christ,  love  Christ,  trust  Christ — that  is  Christianity. 

Not  dogmas  about  Christ,  but  Christ.  This  is  the  Gospel. 
The  spirit  of  the  life  with  which  Christ  lived — His  character. 

Therefore  we  must  understand  Christ.  And  this  as  a  whole 
made  up  of  many  particulars. 

Imagine  a  spectator  advancing  towards  the  earth — pausing  at 
ten  thousand  miles'  distance — contemplating  a  glorious  star.  Then 
alighting  on  a  mountain.  Then  arriving  below,  and  finding  it 
peopled ;  a  history  to  every  spot,  a  science  in  every  stone,  in 
every  atom  the  study  of  a  life.  To  understand  this  earth,  w^hich 
looked  one  bright  mass,  is  to  be  in  possession  of  every  science 
and  every  history:  to  know  it  in  its  atoms,  and  to  know  it  as  a 
whole. 

So  with  Christ.  We  by  degrees  master  that  character,  till  we 
find  it  boundless.  Thought  and  depth  in  every  sentence.  Few 
men  know  much  of  Christ — none  the  whole.  Christianity  dwells 
entire  only  in  one  bosom. 

Some  comprehend  His  reformation  of  abuses ;  others  His  ab- 
horrence of  pretence  in  religion ;  others  His  assertion  of  man's 
equality ;  others  His  purity,  His  courage.  His  truth ;  others  the 
merely  human  aspect  of  His  character.  But  His  character  is  a 
whole. 

There  are  persons  who  write  treatises  on  one  country's  history 
— others  on  the  structure  of  a  plant.  Only  a  few,  like  Herschel 
and  Humboldt,  can  comprehend  with  something  like  adequateness 


Tears  of  Jcsiis.  85 

the  cosmos,  or  order  of  the  universe.  There  is  no  one  who  can- 
not read  a  page  of  it — but  to  be  able  to  compose  "  Cosmos  !"* 

Bear  this  in  mind.  We  contemplate  now  one  feeling  only : 
"  Jesus  wept." 

Our  subject  divides  itself  into  two  branches : 

I.  Causes  of  Christ's  sorrow. 

II.  Its  peculiar  character. 

I.  Causes  of  Christ's  sorrow. 

1.  The  possession  of  a  souh 

When  we  speak  of  Deity  joined  to  humanity,  we  do  not  mean 
joined  to  a  body.  Not  a  body  inhabited  by  Deity,  as  our  bodies 
are  by  soul.  But  we  mean  Deity  joined  to  manhood — body  and 
soul.  With  a  body  only,  Jesus  might  have  wept  for  hunger,  but 
not  wept  for  sorrow.  That  is  neither  the  property  of  Deity  nor 
of  body,  but  of  soul. 

Humanity  in  Christ  w^as  perfect.  The  possession  of  a  body 
enabled  Him  to  weary ;  the  possession  of  a  soul  capacitated  Him 
to  weep. 

2.  The  spectacle  of  human  sorrow.     And  this  twofold : 
Death  of  a  friend :  "  Behold  how  He  loved  him." 

Sorrow  of  two  friends :  "  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her  weep- 
ing, .  .  .  Jesus  wept." 

The  death  of  His  friend  was  a  cause  of  the  sorrow  of  Jesus. 

Mysterious !  Jesus  knew  that  he  could  raise  him.  All-know- 
ing wisdom  :  all-powerful  strength.     Yet  "  Jesus  wept." 

This  is  partly  intehigible.  Conceptions  strongly  presented  pro- 
duce effects  like  reality  ;  e.  g.^  we  wake  dreaming,  our  eyes  suffused 
with  tears — know  it  is  a  dream,  yet  tears  flow  on. 

Conception  of  a  parent's  death.  .  .  . 

Solemn  impression  produced  by  the  mock  funeral  of  Charles 
V 

To  say  that  Jesus  wept  is  only  to  say  that  His  humanity  was 
perfect ;  that  His  mind  moved  by  the  same  laws  as  ours. 

Moreover,  it  was  only  delay.  One  day  Lazarus  would  die,  and 
the  mourning  be  real. 

Now,  observe,  the  sadness  of  Jesus  for  His  friend  is  what  is  re- 
peated with  us  all.     The  news  comes — "He  whom  thou  lovest 

*  Extracted  from  Lecture  II.  on  "Influence  of  Poetry."  The  MS.  con- 
tains only  "To  be  able  to  compose  Cosmos." 


S6  Tears  of  Jesus. 

is  sick,"  and  then,  in  two  days — "Lazarus  is  dead."  Startling! 
Somehow  we  twine  our  hearts  round  men  we  love  as  if  forever. 
Death  and  they  are  not  thought  of  in  connection.  He  die !  He 
die! 

It  is  a  shock  to  find  the  reality  of  this  awful  life:  that  we  are 
swimming  on  a  sea  of  appearances — floating  on  an  eternity  that 
gives  way.  These  attachments,  loves,  etc.,  they  don't  hold ;  there 
is  no  firmness  in  them.  We  are,  and  then  suddenly  are  not.  Life 
and  death,  what  are  they  ? 

Next,  the  sorrow  of  His  two  friends  caused  the  tears  of  Jesus. 

Look  at  this  family.  Three  persons  :  a  brother  lost,  two  sur- 
viving sisters. 

The  sisters'  characters  were  diverse.  Martha  found  her  life  in 
the  outer  world  of  fact ;  Mary  in  the  inner  world  of  feeling.  They 
are  types  of  the  practical  and  the  contemplative. 

Their  way  of  manifesting  feeling  is  different.  Martha  express- 
ed herself  outwardly  in  word,  in  action,  in  small  acts  of  attention  ; 
she  loved  to  discuss  earnestly  with  the  intellect  the  question  of 
the  resurrection — contended  how  things  might  have  been  other- 
wise. Mary  did  not  express — felt  herself  inexpressible ;  reached 
truth  by  the  heart,  not  by  the  mind ;  lived  in  contemplation. 
In  manhood,  one  w^ould  have  found  life  in  the  storm  of  the 
world;  the  other  in  retirement.  As  students,  one  would  have 
studied  the  outward  life  of  man  in  history ;  the  other,  philoso- 
phy, the  causes  of  things,  the  world  visible,  and  the  stranger  world 
within. 

Two  links  bound  these  diverse  characters  together:  love  to 
Lazarus,  attachment  to  the  Redeemer.  And  this  true  union — 
similars  in  dissimilarity,  worlds  differing,  spheres  differing,  yet  no 
clashing — bound  them  together  by  one  common  pursuit. 

Now  one  link  was  gone.  Of  him,  Lazarus,  we  know  little. 
Only  he  was  one  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  he  had  the  strong  at- 
tachment of  such  women  as  Martha  and  Mary. 

His  loss  was  not  an  isolated  fact.  The  family  was  broken  up ; 
the  sun  of  the  system  gone ;  the  planets  no  longer  revolving  round 
a  centre  harmoniously.  The  keystone  is  removed  from  the  arch, 
and  the  stones  are  losing  their  cohesion  ;  for  the  two  minds  held 
together  only  at  points  of  contact.  Points  of  repulsion,  too,  there 
were,  manifest  even  in  life.  They  could  not  understand  one  an- 
other's different  modes  of  feeling :  Martha  complains  of  Mary 


Tears  of  Jesus,  8/ 

at  tlic  feast.  Lazarus  gave  tliem  a  common  tie.  That  removed, 
the  points  of  repulsion  would  daily  become  more  sharp  and  sa- 
lient. 

Over  the  breaking-up  of  a  family  Jesus  v/ept. 

And  this  is  what  makes  death  sad.  Let  him  who  calls  death 
a  trifle  remember  this — not  that  one  man  is  gone,  but  that  Beth- 
any is  no  longer  Bethany.  A  blight  is  there.  You  open  a  book, 
there  is  a  name.  A  day  comes,  it  is  a  birthday — the  chair  is  va- 
cant. In  reverie  yo*u  half  rise  up,  but  the  name  on  your  lips  be- 
longs to  none  on  earth. 

II.  Character  of  Christ's  sorrov/ : — Spirit  in  which  Jesus  saw 
this  death. 

Calmly :  "  Lazarus  sleepeth."  It  is  the  world  of  ropose  where 
all  is  placid. 

Struggling  men  have  tried  to  forget  this  restless  world,  and 
slumber  like  a  babe,  tired — yea,  tired  at  heart.  Lazarus  is  stretch- 
ed out  to  his  Divine  friend's  imagination,  but  he  lies  calm.  The 
long  day's  work  is  done — the  hands  are  folded.  Nothing  to  fret 
now  but  the  "  small  cold  "  worm.  Waves  of  shadow  are  flying 
over  the  long  grass  on  his  grave. 

Friends  are  gathered  to  praise,  enemies  to  slander.  But  praise 
and  slander  on  his  ear  make  no  impression.  Conscious  he  is,  per- 
haps, elsewhere ;  but  unconscious  of  earthly  noise.  Musketry  over 
grave — requiem  mass — minstrels  making  a  noise.  .  .  .  All  this  is 
for  the  living ;  the  dead  hear  not.  But  "  he  sleeps  w^ell."  That 
is  the  tone  of  feeling  with  which  to  stand  over  the  Christian's 
death-bed :  "  Our  friend  Lazarus  sleepeth." 

Next,  sadly.     Hence,  observe,  permitted  sorrow. 

Great  Nature  is  wiser  than  we.  We  recommend  weeping,  or 
prate  about  submission,  or  say  all  must  die  ;  Nature,  God,  say, 
*•  Let  nature  rule,  to  weep  or  not." 

Do  you  say  tears  imply  selfishness — distrust  ?  I  answer :  Weep. 
Let  grief  be  law  to  herself.  We  infer  that  grief  is  no  distrust  of 
God — no  selfishness.     Sorrow  is  but  love  without  its  object. 

Next,  Iwpefully.  "  I  go  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  sleep ; 
thy  brother  shall  rise  again."  Not  merely  calmness,  nor  sadness, 
nor  sorrow,  nor  despair,  but  hope. 

Observe,  the  amount  of  hope  depends  on  character  and  imag- 
inative power. 


SS  Tears  of  Jesus. 

Sanguine  minds  are  elastic ;  it  is  very  easy  for  tliem  to  blame 
deeper  shadow,  as  if  that  which  is  natural  spirits  were  all  faith. 

Allowance,  too,  must  be  made  for  imaginative  power.  That  is 
the  world  of  shadows;  this  the  world  of  experience  and  recol- 
lection. Some  persons  live  in  the  past  more  than  in  the  future. 
Others  there  are  who  travel  with  the  sun  ever  before  them,  keep- 
ing pace  with  the  sun. 

Hope  will  be  small  when  imagination  is  scanty ;  but  feebleness 
of  hope  is  not  feebleness  of  faith. 

Lastly,  in  reserve — the  reserve  of  sorrow. 

On  the  first  announcement,  Jesus  speaks  not  a  word.  "When 
He  met  the  mourners.  He  offered  them  no  commonplace  consola- 
tion. He  is  more  anxious  to  exhibit  feeling  than  to  soothe.  But 
Nature  had  her  way  at  last.  Yet  even  then  by  act  more  than  by 
word  the  Jews  inferred  He  loved  him  ;  "  Jesus  wept ;  then  said 
the  Jews,  Behold  how  He  loved  him." 

There  is  the  reserve  of  nature  and  the  reserve  of  grace. 

We  have  our  own  English  reserve:  we  do  not  give  way  to 
feeling.  We  respect  grief  when  it  does  not  make  an  exhibition. 
An  Englishman  is  ashamed  of  his  good  feelings  as  much  as  of 
his  bad.  In  sarcasm,  sneer,  and  hummed  tune,  tears  will  be  con- 
cealed.    All  this  is  neither  good  nor  bad — it  is  nature. 

But  let  it  be  sanctified ;  let  reserve  of  nature  pass  into  reserve 
of  Christian  delicacy. 

Let  us  add  a  few  words  of  application. 

In  this  there  is  consolation  for  us.  But  consolation  is  not 
the  privilege  of  all  sorrow.  Christ  is  at  Lazarus's  grave,  because 
Christ  had  been  at  the  sisters'  home,  sanctifying  their  joys  and 
their  very  meals.  They  had  anchored  on  the  rock  in  sunshine, 
and  in  the  storm  the  ship  held  to  her  moorings. 

It  is  desolate,  when  the  heart  is  cut  away  by  force,  to  seek  a 
Saviour.  He  who  has  lived  witb  Christ  will  find  Christ  near  in 
death. 

If  you  choose  duty — God — it  is  not  so  difficult  to  die. 


spiritual  Worship.  89 


xrii. 

SPIRITUAL   WORSHIP.     (2.) 

(from  autogkaph  notes.) 

Brighton,  April  7,  1850. 

*'Biit  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  worsliippers  shall  wor- 
ship the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth  :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  wor- 
ship him.  God  is  a  spirit :  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth." — John  iv.  23,  24. 

The  conversation  between  Christ  and  the  woman  of  Samaria 
began  on  common  topics.  By-and-by  it  became  more  deep  and 
interesting.  He,  to  whom  all  things  here  were  types,  could  not 
converse  without  a  Divine  meaning  in  all  He  said.  A  draught  of 
water  connected  itself  with  the  mystery  of  life. 

So  soon  as  she  discovered  His  spiritual  character,  she  put  the 
question  of  her  day. 

A  miserable  question  had  perplexed  two  nations  lying  near 
each  other,  of  the  same  blood,  interests,  and  hopes.  They  hated 
each  other :  "  the  Jew  had  no  dealing  with  the  Samaritan."  They 
excommunicated  each  other.  Just  in  proportion  to  their  nearness 
of  relationship  was  their  bitterness.  A  Jew  hated  a  Samaritan 
far  more  than  a  heathen.  Scarcely  anything  in  the  present  day 
will  exactly  illustrate  this  hatred.  Protestant  and  Catholic  antip- 
athies are  perhaps  the  nearest ;  or  just  as  some  orthodox  Chris- 
tians hate  a  heterodox  Christian,  and  resolve,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
to  have  no  dealings  with  him.  For  the  spirit  of  men  is  the  same 
in  every  age.  And  the  intensity  of  abhorrence  between  Jew  and 
Samaritan  was  the  measure  of  their  zeal.  The  more  they  kept 
aloof  from  their  "brother  whom  they  had  seen,"  the  more  they 
thought  they  showed  their  love  to  "  God,  whom  they  had  not 
seen."  As  if  they  could  with  the  same  tongue  bless  the  Father 
and  anathematize  men  who  are  "made  after  the  similitude  of  God." 

Before  we  pass  to  the  consideration  of  our  subject,  we  have  two 
remarks  to  make.  Remark,  first,  the  difference  between  interest 
in  theology  and  interest  in  religion. 


90  Spiritual  Worship. 

Here  was  a  woman  living  in  sin,  and  yet  deeply  interested  in  a 
religious  controversy.  She  found,  doubtless,  a  kind  of  safeguard 
to  rest  on  in  the  perception  of  this  keen  interest.  Her  religion 
was  almost  nothing,  her  theology  most  orthodox. 

Theological  controversy  sharpens  our  disputative  faculties  and 
wakes  our  speculative  ones.  Religion  is  love  to  God  and  man. 
People  do  not  distinguish  between  theology  and  religion.  They 
make  skill  in  controversy  a  test  of  spirituality ;  yet  it  is  but  a 
poor  test.  However,  this  is  the  test  we  use.  The  way  the  woman 
questioned  Christ  is  a  specimen  of  a  common  feeling.  The  mo- 
ment Christ  appears,  she  examines  His  views.  She  does  not  ask 
whether  the  Man  before  her  were  pure  and  spotless  —  His  life 
spent  in  doing  good ;  but  was  He  sound  upon  the  vital  question 
of  the  temple  ? 

A  man  dies,  and  you  ask  what  were  his  opinions.  Consider 
which  is  worse — a  mistake  about  baptism  or  a  mistake  about  love 
to  God  and  man  ?     The  life  is  the  test  of  faith. 

The  second  remark  we  make  is,  that  ail  that  was  worth  notice 
in  the  question  had  disappeared. 

Formally  the  Jew  was  right,  the  Samaritan  wrong :  "  Jerusalem 
was  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship." 

But  wrong  as  the  Samaritan  was,  he  was  not  half  so  wrong 
for  praying  on  Mount  Gerizim  as  the  Jew  was  for  excommuni- 
cating him  and  having  no  dealings  with  him ;  or  half  so  wrong 
as  he  was  himself  for  hating  the  Jew :  "  And  they  did  not  receive 
liim,  because  his  face  was  as  though  he  would  go  to  Jerusalem." 
Eight  as  was  the  Jew  in  his  theology,  it  was  negatived  by  his 
hatred  of  the  Samaritan.  The  duty  of  being  liberal  to  the  illib- 
eral was  forgotten.  And  thus  worship  had  disappeared  in  dis- 
putes about  the  place  "  where  men  ought  to  worship." 

This  belongs  to  us;  we,  too,  have  our  miserable  questions  of 
ivhere  ?  and  ivlicn  ?  Every  age  has  its  own  special  question.  The 
question  once  v/as,  whether  a  miracle  was  performed  in  the  Com- 
munion. The  questions  now  are  whether  a  miracle  is  performed 
in  the  baptism  of  a  baby ;  whether  rule  resides  in  the  State  or  in 
the  Church ;  whether  the  priest  is  above  the  law  or  beneath  it. 

The  days  arc  coming  when  these  questions  will  be  debated 
with  vehemence ;  and  in  proportion  to  our  controversial  stancli- 
ness  we  shall  estimate  our  spiritual  excellence.  And  the  days, 
perhaps,  are  coming  when  we  shall  test  each  other  by  these  ques- 


spiritual  Worship.  91 

tions,  and  pronounce  all  who  disagree  with  us  bad  men,  and  re- 
fuse communion  with  them. 

Yet,  observe,  while  we  battle  about  baptism — how  and  in  what 
sense  it  mates  us  children  of  God,  literally  or  figuratively — we 
are  losing  all  that  baptism  means.  Instead  of  a  symbol  of  unity, 
"  one  baptism,"  it  becomes  ingeniously  converted  into  a  symbol 
of  strife. 

Just  as  worship  disappeared  in  the  miserable  controversy  about 
"  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship,"  Moimt  Gerizim  or 
Mount  Moriah,  so  is  Christianity  going  while  we  battle  about  bap- 
tism— when,  and  where,  the  Spirit  of  God  comes  down. 

Now  tell  us  which  was  worse — to  worship  on  a  wrong  hill,  or 
to  mistake  the  very  essence  of  worship  ?  Which  was  worse — to 
err  respecting  the  interpretation  of  records  on  which  the  question 
rested  where  God  had  placed  his  name,  or  to  err  respecting  love  ? 
A  blunder  of  intellect,  or  a  lack  of  charity  ?  Which  is  worse — 
to  hold  incorrect  views  respecting  baptism,  or  to  lose  the  whole 
of  that  which  baptism  was  given  for  ? — to  sacrifice  before  a  wrong 
altar,  or  to  bring  wrong  sacrifice  to  a  true  altar  ? 

Now,  Christ  speaks  of  a  new  worship  essentially  different  from 
the  old.  He  made  religion  spiritual.  He  pointed  out  the  differ- 
ence between  religion  and  theology,  and  He  revealed  the  founda- 
tion on  which  true  worship  must  rest. 

A  new  time  was  coming  for  a  new  worship :  *'  The  hour  com- 
eth,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Fa- 
ther in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

Let  us  consider : 

I.  The  foundation  or  the  revelation  on  which  the  new  worship 
rests. 

II.  The  nature  of  spiritual  worship. 

I.  The  foundation  on  which  the  new  worship  rests  is  a  revela- 
tion made  by  Christ  respecting  the  character  of  God,  which  con- 
tains three  points:  His  paternity,  "God  is  the  Father;"  His  spir- 
it?ual  nature,  "  God  is  a  Spirit ;"  and  His  personality, "  He  scek- 
eth." 

1.  God  is  "the  Father."  This  is  evidently  the  emphatic  word 
of  the  sentence :  "  The  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true 
worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father.'''' 

Christ  revealed  a  name — the  Father.     Great  stress  is  laid  in 


92  spiritual  Worship, 

the  Bible  npon  the  significance  of  names.  Moses  asked,  "  What 
is  thy  name  ?" — "  I  am  that  I  am ;  I  appeared  to  the  fathers  by 
the  name  of  God  Almighty,  but  by  my  name  Jehovah  was  I  not 
known  to  them."  This  was  of  peculiar  importance  in  Jewish 
theology.  A  name  was  identical  with  the  person ;  Moses  means 
drawn  out  of  the  water;  Jacob,  supplanter ;  Israel,  Prince  of  God. 
So  each  step  in  revelation  added  something  to  the  name:  first 
God ;  then  Jehovah,  expressing  His  being ;  lastly  Holy  Father,  re- 
vealing His  character. 

Not  but  what  men  had,  in  a  sense,  before  worshipped  a  Father. 
The  Greeks  and  the  Romans  spoke  of  the  "  father  of  gods  and 
men."  The  Jewish  prophets  said,  "  Have  we  not  all  one  Fa- 
ther?" But  the  universality  in  the  Name  was  wanting.  A  Fa- 
ther— yes,  but  of  Rome  alone,  or  Athens  alone,  or  the  Jews  alone. 

Therefore  the  old  question  was  all  in  all.'  Where  is  He  to  be 
worshipped  ?  For  the  real  question  hidden  under  that  was.  Who 
are  His  children  ?  for  if  God  be  localized  to  one  place,  then  His 
children  are  those  alone  who  worship  there.  Is  it  the  Capitoline 
Jove,  or  the  Zeus  of  Olympus,  or  Jehovah  of  Mount  Zion,  or  the 
Father  of  the  family  of  man  who  is  to  be  worshipped  ? 

The  appearance  of  Christ  was  the  manifestation  of  the  answer : 
God  is  the  Father  of  the  family  of  man. 

The  incarnation  declared  that  the  Son  of  Man  is  the  Son  of 
God.  One  appeared  who  was  not  the  Jew,  nor  the  Greek,  nor  the 
Roman,  but  the  Man ;  One  in  whose  veins  ran  the  blood  of  the 
human  race ;  One  in  whose  character  was  neither  exclusively  the 
woman  nor  the  man,  but  all  that  was  most  manly,  and  all  that 
was  most  womanly — One  so  tender  to  the  publican  and  the  sin- 
ner that  He  could  say  to  Mary  Magdalene,  "  My  Father  and  your 
Father." 

All  arc  born  sons  of  God  into  this  world.  Yet  do  not  mistake. 
There  is  a  distinction  between  a  son  of  God  by  right  and  a 
son  of  God  in  fact.  The  last  century  beheld  the  son  of  a  royal 
house  taken  from  his  family  and  compelled  to  descend  into  the 
lowest  ranks  of  life.  He  was  heir  of  the  royal  family ;  by  right, 
heir  to  the  throne,  but  in  fact  heir  to  degradation — vile  in  charac- 
ter, ignorant,  and  unregal.  So  is  it  with  the  son  of  man.  By  right, 
a  child  of  God ;  by  fact  a  child  of  wrath,  ignorant  of  his  privi- 
leges, not  knowing  who  or  what  he  is,  or  "  that  imperial  palace 


Spirittial  Worship.  93 

2.  The  second  foundation  on  which  spiritual  worship  rests  is 
that  "  God  is  a  spirit." 

We  should  greatly  mistake  the  meaning  of  this  if  we  took  it  as 
a  theological  definition  of  the  being  of  God.  It  is  not  theolog- 
ical, but  practical.  It  is  chiefly  negative.  It  says  what  God  is 
not:  He  is  not  matter,  He  has  not  a  form:  "A  spirit  hath  not 
flesh  and  bones."  He  is  Mind.  Mind,  properly  speaking,  has  no 
place.     Of  love,  generosity,  thought — can  you  say  when  ? 

This,  then,  was  the  great  truth,  that  God  is  a  Mind,  not  sepa- 
rated by  conditions  of  space  and  time  from  Ilis  creatures. 

3.  The  third  foundation  on  which  spiritual  worship  rests  is  the 
Personality  of  God  :  "  The  Father  seeketh:' 

There  are  two  erroneous  notions,  both  compatible  with  the  idea 
of  Spirit,  that  God  is  an  idea  elaborated  out  of  our  own  minds, 
and  that  God  is  the  Soul  of  Nature.  There  is  a  prevalent  notion 
that  God  is  an  idea  elaborated  out  of  our  own  minds ;  e.  g.,  we 
have  an  idea  of  justice,  truth,  mercy  ;  and  this  idea  or  assemblage 
of  ideas  we  insensibly  invest  with  personality  and  call  God.  No- 
tions of  this  sort  more  or  less  float  in  all  our  minds,  hauntino-  us 
so  that  we  lose  the  idea  of  personality.  And  then  spiritual  wor- 
ship would  be  only  this,  cultivating  goodness,  cultivating  truth, 
cultivating  justice. 

The  other  prevalent  notion  is  that  God  is  the  Soul  of  Nature, 
the  Spirit  of  the  Universe.  But  at  once  you  feel  this  is  not  re- 
ligion. Oh  no !  that  utter  loneliness  of  soul  which  comes  from 
sin  and  despair  needs  some  one  near  on  whom  to  lean,  some  one 
who  can  feel  and  sympathize.  One  is  near  and  feels.  No  Soul  of 
Nature,  no  abstract  goodness,  no  ideal  of  our  own  minds,  no  Spirit 
of  the  Universe.  Not  an  unconscious  mind  becoming  broken  into 
a  myriad  consciousnesses ;  but  a  living  Father  who  "  seeketh." 

This  is  Redemption.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  Holy  Spirit:  "  God 
is  a  spirit — He  seeketh." 

Oh,  if  in  this  dreary  life,  when  one  is  struggling  for  truth,  and 
struggling  to  God  alone,  it  is  only  that  we  are  realizing  the  ideal 
of  our  own  minds  ! 

Here  is  the  value  of  belief  in  a  Person.  Personality  belongs 
to  spirit;  not  less  personal  because  spirit.  And,  therefore,  our 
Redeemer  tells  us  this  truth,  "  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship 
Him  " — not  that  we  seek  God,  but  that  He  seeks  us ;  not  that  wc 
rise  to  God,  but  that  He  descends  to  us. 


94  Spiritual  Worship. 

This  it  is  upon  which  we  base  our  conviction  that  there  will  be 
hereafter  a  spiritual  worship.  We  hear  much  respecting  the  "  ad- 
vancement of  humanity ;"  if  it  meant  only  this,  that  there  is  a 
law  in  us  rising  to  perfection,  the  question  would  not  be  ivorth 
doubting  ;  but  when  we  are  told  that  the  Creator  has  interested 
Himself  in  His  creation,  we  know  that  the  day  shall  come  when 
the  "  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in 
truth." 

II.  The  nature  of  Spiritual  worship.  Now,  what  we  mean  by 
"  worship"  is  the  highest  reverence  of  the  soul;  adoration,  awe; 
it  may  be,  even,  vague  devoutness :  "  Ye  know  not  what." 

There  is  a  vast  difference  between  a  man's  creed  and  his  wor- 
ship. It  is  not  merely  what  a  man  professes  to  reverence  that 
constitutes  worship.  Moreover,  to  be  spiritual,  worship  must  be 
intelligent.  It  must  be  higher  than  mere  words.  It  is  possible 
for  a  Trinitarian  to  call  Christ  God,  and  worship  mammon.  It 
is  conceivable  that  a  Unitarian  theologian  may  in  word — I  say 
conceivable — deny  even  the  Deity  of  Christ,  and  yet,  like  the  son 
in  the  parable  who  said  "  I  go,"  and  went  not,  that  he  may  have 
learned  to  give  Him  the  whole  reverence  of  his  soul :  "  Not  every 
one  that  saith  unto  Me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  ;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  My  Father  which  is 
in  heaven." 

Again,  it  is  not  a  thing  which  a  man  can  decide,  whether  he 
will  be  a  worshipper  or  not ;  a  worshipper  he  must  be :  the  only 
question  is  lohat  will  he  worship?  Every  man  worships — is  a 
born  worshipper.  It  is  nonsense  to  say  he  does  not  believe  in  a 
God.  Before  what  is  greater  than  himself  man  bows  instinctive- 
ly. The  feeling  of  devoutness  is  instinctive.  Look  at  the  child 
when  he  first  enters  the  Church  of  God,  how  his  soul  seems  filled 
with  the  grandeur  of  the  service,  how  he  tries  to  join  his  voice 
with  the  praises  that  are  being  uttered.  It  is  man's  necessity  that 
he  must  love.  He  may  call  himself  an  infidel  if  he  will,  but  he 
must  worship  something — it  may  be  perchance  himself,  or  the 
Rights  of  Man,  or  even  Reason. 

1.  Once  more,  the  new  worship  of  God  is  to  be  a  universal  wor- 
ship :  "  Neither  in  this  mountain  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem  shall  men 
worship  the  Father."  Are  we,  then,  to  understand  by  this  that  the 
difference  between  the  old  and  the  new  worship  is  merely  that  the 


spiritual  Worship.  95 

one  is  localized  and  the  other  not  ?  [Observe  there  was  a  use  of 
space  and  place  before  the  Father  was  known.  Zeus  of  Olympus 
and  Jove  of  the  Capitol  compared  in  effects.]  Nay,  the  distinc- 
tion is  not  that ;  what  is  meant  here  is  that  it  is  not  in  Mount 
Moriah  or  Mount  Gerizim  only,  but  everywhere,  that  we  are  to 
worship  the  Father.  The  distinction  is  between  exclusive  and 
universal  worship.  The  time  w^as  coming  when  the  question 
where  would  be  felt  to  be  unimportant. 

A  mistake  is  sometimes  made,  and  it  is  said  that  local  worship 
is  here  forbidden,  that  worship  in  a  place  is  not  spiritual  worship, 
and  that  we  must  go  into  the  temple  of  Nature  to  worship  the 
Father  in  spirit.  We  are  told  that  the  everlasting  hills  are  pillars 
far  more  grand  than  the  pillars  of  the  Church,  and  that  the  shy 
above  is  far  more  glorious  than  the  roof  of  the  most  splendid  ca- 
thedral. This  is  certainly  a  truth  to  be  insisted  on ;  Nature  is  the 
temple  of  God,  and  he  v*'ho  refuses  to  worship  there  refuses  to 
worship  as  our  Redeemer  did.  There  is  in  the  worship  in  the 
temple  of  Nature  something  elevating  and  grand;  we  feel  our- 
selves higher  than  the  Nature  we  contemplate,  and  so  our  pride 
begins  to  rise ;  and  when  we  come  back  from  it  to  worship  among 
men,  we  find  that  we  had  been  forgetting  humanity,  and  the  fam- 
ily of  spirits  congenial  to  us.  Therefore  do  not  fly  to  Nature  for 
spiritual  worship.  AVe  must  content  ourselves  with  a  worship  far 
less  grand,  but  quite  as  true,  and  more  humble. 

2.  Again,  the  new  worship  of  God  must  be  worship  "  in  spirit." 
This  truth  the  better  men  among  the  Jews  had  gradually  seen. 

The  later  prophets-had  clearer  and  higher  notions  of  worship  than 
their  predecessors.  This  wx  see  from  their  notion  of  sacrifice  :  "  Lo, 
I  come  to  do  Thy  will,  0  Lord;"  and,  again,  "He  hath  showed 
thee,  O  man,  what  is  good,  .  .  .  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require 
of  thee  but  to  do  justice,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with 
thy  God  ?"  They  recognized  that  all  true  life  is  worship  :  "  Wor- 
ship the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness." 

3.  Lastly,  this  spiritual  worship  consists  in  the  worship  of 
truth.  .  .  .  AVhen  we  are  told  to  worship  the  Lord  in  truth,  it 
means  the  correspondence  between  acts  and  laws.  ...  In  spirit- 
ual life  there  are  certain  laws,  obedience  to  which  is  truest  wor- 
ship. God  dwells  in  the  humble  and  contrite  heart ;  to  fear  God, 
to  be  humble,  and  to  love  God,  that  is  the  spiritual  worship  of 
God. 


96         Tlie  Conviction  of  Sin  in  the  Mind  of  Peter. 


XIV. 

THE  CONVICTION  OF  SIN  IN  THE  MIND  OF  PETER. 

Brighton,  November  ]0,  1850. 

"When  Simon  Peter  saw  it,  he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  saying.  Depart 
from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord." — Luke  v.  8. 

This  is  one  of  the  earliest,  if  not  tlie  very  earliest,  interviews 
of  the  Apostle  Peter  with  the  Redeemer.  It  was  rendered  mem- 
orable by  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  which  attended  it.  It 
is  worthy  of  observation  that  the  last  recorded  interview  of  our 
Lord  with  the  same  apostle  was  marked  by  a  set  of  circumstances 
precisely  similar.  In  both  cases  Peter  had  toiled  all  night,  and 
had  been  unsuccessful,  and  at  last  was  relieved  by  miracle.  In 
this  case  evidently  there  was  much  that  was  symbolical  and  which 
prefigured — so  that  the  heart  might  understand  many  things — 
the  future  spiritual  success  of  Peter,  and  also  the  unstinted  exu- 
berance of  the  loving-kindness  of  God,  and  the  utter  powerless- 
ness  of  unaided  human  effort. 

We  have,  moreover,  a  specimen  of  the  Redeemer's  teaching. 
He  taught  by  actions;  He  was  Himself  the  Word,  the  expression 
of  the  mind  of  God ;  every  action  was  itself  a  word.  His  mira- 
cles had  a  voice,  and  His  life  was,  as  it  were,  a  magnificent  monu- 
ment sculptured  over  with  hieroglyphics  which  can  only  be  un- 
derstood and  interpreted  by  him  who  has  the  key,  which  is  the 
spirit  of  God.  Now  the  advantage  of  this  symbolic  teaching  was 
twofold : 

First,  it  was  a  living  thing.  Our  Master  came  into  this  world, 
not  to  be  merely  a  signpost  on  which  the  way  was  written,  but  to 
be  "  the  way  "  itself ;  not  to  be  the  teacher,  but  "  the  truth."  And 
similarly,  for  the  same  reason,  there  is  a  special  power  in  symbolic 
teaching.  Sacraments  have  in  them,  as  they  say,  more  of  grace 
than  sermons  or  mere  words.  It  is  possible  for  a  minister  to  say, 
"  You  are  all  God's  children,"  but  it  is  not  possible  to  say  it  with 
so  much  force  as  is  expressed  in  the  sacrament  which  rej^resents 


The  Conviction  of  Sin  in  the  Mind  of  Peter.        97 

that  fact.  It  is  possible  for  a  minister  to  say,  "  Ye  are  all  breth- 
ren," and  yet  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  state  it  thoroughly  with 
all  that  eloquence  which  is  found  in  this  instituted  fact  of  Christ. 
By  this  institution  rich  and  poor,  great  and  small,  master  and  ser- 
vant, kneel  together  at  the  same  table  as  brethren.  It  is  possible 
for  the  minister  to  say  that  everything  here  is  sacred,  but  he  can- 
not say  this  as  powerfully  as  it  is  said  in  that  same  sacrament:  it 
is  impossible  for  him  to  tell  out  this  truth  as  it  is  told  in  our 
Master's  institution,  according  to  which  the  commonest  elements 
and  actions  are  taken  and  consecrated  to  be  the  most  sacred  sym- 
bols of  His  religion. 

In  the  next  place,  this  symbolic  teaching  saves  us  from  dead 
dogmas.  The  words  of  Christ  are  living  words  ;  they  speak  to  the 
imagination  and  the  heart  rather  than  to  the  intellect.  For  ex- 
ample, our  Master  took  bread  and  said,  "This  is  my  body;"  let 
the  imagination  and  the  heart  feed  upon  that,  and  then  you  will 
feol  that  these  words  were  sucli  that  no  others  could  have  been 
substituted  for  them  ;  but  let  the  Romish  commentator  come  wdth 
his  intellect,  and  force  it  into  literalism,  and  demand  that  you 
should  receive  only  the  external  meaning  of  these  words,  and  then 
a  glorious  figure  is  turned  into  mere  logic,  and  the  life  of  the 
thing  is  gone.  Again,  our  Redeemer  here,  by  a  significant  act, 
proclaims  to  Peter  many  things  on  which  his  heart  may  feed — the 
loving-kindness  of  God,  the  powerlessness  of  man,  and  the  success 
of  the  Gospel ;  but  let  the  commentator  come  and  force  upon  it  a 
literal  meaning,  and  its  true  life  is  gone ;  the  poetry  of  it  has  fled 
— for  all  the  highest  truth  is  poetry.  The  life  of  Christ  is  the 
noblest  poetry,  the  actions  and  words  of  Christ  are  poetry;  with 
that  the  mind  intensely  elevated  labors,  Avithout  power  of  express- 
ing it  in  words  adequate,  and  therefore  must  find  for  itself  figures ; 
just  as  God  is  obliged  to  speak  to  us  by  the  symbols  of  this  uni- 
verse, and  just  as  the  universe  tells  us  of  the  beauty  of  God ;  but 
try  to  express  in  words  the  beauty,  majesty,  and  love,  and  it  will 
all  fail.  So  in  the  words  of  Christ  there  is  a  something  forever 
beautiful,  but  it  is  a  beauty  too  refined  for  the  mind  to  grasp ; 
therefore  these  acts  of  Christ  remain  forever  full  of  a  meaning 
which  can  never  be  exhausted ;  these  words  it  is  our  privilege  to 
find  each  time  we  look  into  them  as  fresh  and  new  as  if  they  had 
never  been  interpreted  before. 

Our  thoughts  to-day  will  branch  off  into  these  two  divisions : 

5 


98         The  Conviction  of  Sin  in  the  Mind  of  Peter. 

I.  The  meaning  and  object  of  this  miracle. 

II.  The  effects  produced  by  it  on  Peter's  mind. 

I.  This  miracle,  more  than  all  others,  taught  God's  personality. 
Brethren,  at  the  bottom  of  all  things  here  there  is  a  law.    Now 

it  is  the  tendency  of  habit  to  look  upon  law,  and  see  nothing  be- 
low it.  We  gaze  upon  this  great  world  of  God  and  see  nothing 
below  the  vast  mass  of  laws  by  which  it  is  governed ;  then  a  mir- 
acle breaks  the  continuity  of  these  laws  by  a  higher  law.  For  let 
it  not  be  fancied  that  a  miracle  is  a  contradiction  of  these  laws,  it 
is  simply  an  interruption.  It  may  be  the  ordinary  law  that  a  man 
under  certain  circumstances  of  sickness  shall  die ;  but  if  the  hand 
of  God  be  placed  beneath  that  man  to  save  him,  there  is,  if  you 
will,  an  interruption,  but  no  contradiction.  For  what  is  a  law? 
A  law  is  merely  the  expression  of  the  will  of  God ;  a  law  is  God  in 
action :  there  must  be  a  will  before  there  can  be  a  law.  God  is 
imminent  in  this  world ;  He  is  the  life  of  all  that  is.  The  birds 
move  and  migrate  unerringly  from  place  to  place,  guided,  as  we 
say  popularly,  by  instinct ;  let  us  rather  say  guided  by  the  law  of 
God.  Certain  fishes  are  found  in  deep  water,  others  in  shallow, 
to  each  of  which  they  are  guided  by  an  impulse,  and  that  impulse 
is  God.  Had  Peter  let  down  his  net  as  usual,  and  without  a 
promise  received  success,  doubtless  the  will  of  God  would  have 
been  working  just  as  much  as  in  the  other  case ;  but  when  in  obe- 
dience to  a  voice  Peter  let  down  the  net,  and  in  exact  agreement 
with  the  prediction  his  net  was  filled  v/ith  fishes,  then  Peter  felt 
that  the  words  he  had  formerly  used  were  inadequate,  and  that 
the  "lavrs  of  chance"  were  false,  for  from  this  he  learned  that  there 
is  a  living  will.  And  this  is  the  meaning  and  intention  of  every 
miracle,  to  break  through  the  tyranny  of  the  words  "  law  "  and 
"nature." 

II.  We  pass  on  now  to  consider  the  effects  produced  on  Peter. 
These  centre  themselves  in  one  sentence ;  the  effect  ended  in  the 
production  of  a  sense  of  sin — "  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful 
man,  O  Lord."  Now,  this  was  not  mere  wonder,  nor  was  it  curi- 
osity or  surprise ;  it  was  the  sense  of  personal  sin.  His  heart  was 
bursting  with  the  feeling,  "  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord." 

In  this  division  of  our  subject  we  find  these  two  branches: 
first,  the  cause  of  this  impression ;  and,  sccondl}",  the  nature  of  the 
sense  of  sin  itself. 


TJie  Conviction  of  Sin  in  the  Mind  of  Peter.        99 

1.  When  we  come  to  look  at  tlie  cause,  we  see  that  tlie  im- 
pression was  partly  owing  to  the  apostle's  Jewish  education.  The 
miracle  falling  on  a  Jewish  mind  produced  a  different  effect  from 
what  it  would  have  produced  on  a  heathen  mind.  For  the  Jews 
always  recognized  the  personality  of  God ;  therefore  this  only 
awoke  what  was  acknowledged  before.  Had  this  happened  to  a 
heathen,  it  would  have  produced  nothing  but  surprise  and  won- 
derment ;  but  the  feeling  of  a  Jew  in  such  a  case  was  not  merely 
that  he  had  erred  against  his  nature,  but  that  he  had  transgressed 
the  will  of  a  living  person.  This  recognition  of  God's  personal- 
ity formed  the  vast  distinction  between  the  heathen  and  the  Jew. 
The  Jew  felt,  "  Thou,  God,  seest  me ;"  and  he  was  ever  haunted 
by  that  awful  relationship  which  cannot  be  put  aside,  the  feeling 
of  the  debt  and  account  yet  to  be  gone  through  between  "  Thee 
and  me." 

And,  partly,  again,  this  was  produced  by  the  pure  presence  of 
Jesus  Christ;  He  interpreted  man,  and  revealed  the  thoughts  of 
many  hearts,  not  by  instituting  any  system  of  painful  self-scrutiny, 
but  by  placing  earthly  imperfection  in  opposition  to  His  own  Di- 
vine perfection.  And,  therefore,  wherever  the  Redeemer  went.  He 
elicited  a  strange  sense  of  sin — the  conviction  of  sin  came  instant- 
ly on  the  soul  of  Zacchceus  as  soon  as  Jesus  spake  to  him,  and  he 
stood  forth  and  said,  *'  If  I  have  done  wrong,  I  restore  fourfold ;" 
the  poor  sinful  woman  in  His  presence  poured  out  her  tears  in 
abundance ;  and  the  righteous  centurion  felt,  "  I  am  not  worthy 
that  thou  shouldst  come  under  ray  roof."  Even  the  thief  upon 
the  cross  confessed  that  he  justly  merited  his  condemnation  ;  and 
Peter,  brought  before  his  Master,  says  at  once,  "  I  am  a  sinful 
man,  O  Lord." 

And  this  is  not  the  case  only  in  our  Redeemer's  personal  min- 
istry, but  it  is  so  wherever  Christianity  is  preached:  it  ever  pro- 
duces a  sense  of  imperfection  not  felt  before ;  it  is  the  more  radi- 
ant light  making  more  intense  the  shadow  that  had  been  almost 
invisible  before ;  and  this  shadow  has  so  rested  upon  the  heart 
that  man  could  not  stand  beneath  it  in  his  own  strength ;  and 
then,  from  the  anguish  of  a  heart  pressed  down  by  sin,  there  rose 
up  the  Romish  confessional.  In  such  days  as  these,  when  men's 
minds  are  fevered,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  understand  the  real 
meaning  of  such  an  institution,  but  a  meaning  it  must  have ;  we 
have  seen  its  infinite  evil,  but  this  is  no  proof  that  it  was  original- 


100       The  Conviction  of  Sin  in  the  Mind  of  Peter. 

ly  established  without  a  real  and  true  meaning.  The  worship  of 
the  Virgin,  idolatrous  though  it  be,  yet  tells  us  a  truth  that  there 
has  been  a  revolution  in  society  which  has  made  men  reverence 
meekness  and  purity  rather  than  strength.  So  does  the  confes- 
sional, even  through  its  mass  of  evil,  proclaim  to  us  the  truth  that 
through  the  light  of  Christ  there  has  come  into  the  world  the 
necessity  for  a  pure  conscience. 

2.  We  pass  on  now  once  more  to  consider  the  nature  of  this 
conviction  of  sin  in  Peter's  bosom.  There  is  a  remorse  which  is 
felt  for  crime,  there  is  a  sting,  an  anguish  represented  so  well  by 
the  apostle's  words,  "  The  sting  of  death  is  sin ;"  but  this  was  not 
Peter's  case.  There  is  something  very  significant  here ;  it  is  not 
merely  pain,  but  a  sudden  throbbing,  making  life  itself  death. 
Now,  such  as  this  was  not  the  apostle's  feeling,  for  his  had  been  a 
life  not  of  crime,  but  of  uprightness ;  he  was  a  man  not  only  of 
external  regularity,  but  of  inward  devotedness.  He  had  lived  an- 
ticipating the  Redeemer's  advent ;  and  this  is  plain  from  the  fact 
that  when  Andrew  went  to  call  his  brother  to  Jesus,  the  words  he 
used  were  these:  "We  have  found  the  Messiah" — thus  evident- 
ly showing  that  they  had  been  waiting  for  the  "  consolation  of  Is- 
rael." But  the  language  of  holy  men,  when  they  speak  of  sin,  is 
startling ;  the  world  cannot  hear  them  speak  of  themselves  as  the 
"chief  of  sinners"  without  surmising  that  there  must  be  some 
crime  to  produce  all  this  contrition. 

In  order  to  understand  this,  and  to  comprehend  Peter's  convic- 
tion of  guilt,  Ave  must  look  at  the  three  principles  which  guide  the 
life  of  three  different  classes  of  men.  The  first  is  that  of  obedi- 
ence to  the  opinion  of  the  world,  the  second  is  the  standard  of  a 
man's  own  opinion,  and  the  third  is  the  light  of  the  life  of  God. 
The  first  of  these  makes  the  man  of  honor,  the  second  makes  the 
man  of  virtue,  and  the  third  makes  the  man  of  saintliness. 

Some  men  live  entirely  by  the  world,  so  that  their  very  life 
seems  to  hang  on  the  opinion  of  the  world — these  are  the  men  of 
honor.  Such  as  these  was  Saul,  the  first  monarch  of  Israel ;  he 
lived  by  the  world's  opinion.  When  he  had  done  wrong  before 
God,  he  desired  Samuel  to  honor  him  before  the  elders  of  his  people. 
He  did  not  feel,  like  Peter,  that  he  was  sinful,  but  said,  "  I  have 
played  the  fool  exceedingly ;"  and  when  his  life  drew  to  a  close, 
when  his  popularity  was  gone  and  his  authority  remained  no  longer, 
there  was  nothinix  left  for  the  mere  man  of  honor  but  suicide. 


The  Conviction  of  Sin  in  the  Mind  of  Peter.      loi 

There  are  other  men  who  live  on  a  principle,  and  are  to  them- 
selves a  law ;  they  live  by  their  own  opinions.  These  are  the  men 
of  virtue ;  they  often  stand  as  rocks  in  the  midst  of  a  corrupt 
age,  men  of  firmness,  integrity,  and  strength,  and,  moreover,  of 
self-reliance.  Such  a  man  as  this  was  the  other  Saul  at  that  pe- 
riod when  he  felt  respect  for  his  past  life,  and  looked  upon  that 
life  as  blameless.  Such,  also,  was  Peter  in  his  earliest  life ;  and 
this  spirit  broke  out  once  again  in  after-life  when  he  exclaimed, 
"  Though  all  should  deny  Thee,  yet  will  not  I." 

There  is  yet  another  class  of  men,  those  who  walk  by  the  stand- 
ard of  the  will  of  God.  It  is  from  the  knowledge  of  that  will 
that  men  learn  the  infinite  littleness  of  their  own  achievements: 
this  makes  them  feel  as  nothing  in  the  sight  of  God ;  and  then 
those  actions  which  before  appeared  meritorious  turn  out  to  be 
nothing  but  bare  duties,  the  omission  of  which  is  great  sin.  And 
here  lies  the  distinction  between  virtue  and  saintliness :  the  man 
of  virtue  walks  in  firmness,  resting  on  the  law  which  he  has  ful- 
filled ;  while  the  man  of  saintliness  walks  humbly,  meekly,  lowly, 
as  beneath  the  infinite  heaven  of  duty  that  arches  overhead.  And 
such  was  the  case  with  Peter  when  this  new  revelation  of  the 
majesty  and  purity  of  Christ  was  made  known  to  him.  Up  to 
this  time  he  had  lived  an  upright  man,  full  of  self-reliance ;  from 
this  time  he  began  to  walk  lowly  and  learned  self-forgetfulness. 
Till  a  man  learns  that  he  never  attains  to  saintliness. 

This  is  the  way  in  which  Christ  produces  conviction  of  sip,  not 
by  giving  us  the  confessional,  not  by  demanding  that  we  should 
be  thrown  back  upon  ourselves  in  painful  self-scrutiny,  as  if  from 
the  charnel-house  of  corruption  it  were  possible  to  extract  life ; 
but  rather  by  placing  before  us  infinite  love,  infinite  loving-kind- 
ness, and  a  perfect  humanity ;  we  fall  in  the  dust  before  this  and 
say,  "  We  are  sinful  men,  O  Lord." 

And  now,  brethren,  one  word  in  conclusion.  I  have  purposely 
abstained  from  that  subject  which  is  now  occupying  the  mind  of 
all  England — the  impotent  assumption  of  a  foreign  prelate  to  claim 
spiritual  authority  over  free-born  Englishmen.  It  would  have 
been  easy  for  me  to  agitate  your  minds,  easy  to  awake  your  in- 
dignation ;  for  myself,  I  love  not  such  work.  At  least  let  the 
Sabbath-day  be  free  from  that.  Give  the  week,  if  you  will,  to  the 
attitude  of  defiance ;  let  us  give  one  day  in  seven  to  the  attitude 
of  soul-humbleness. 


1 02  Gu ilt  of  Judging. — ContcmptuoiiS7iess. 

I  have  brought  before  you  a  personal  subject.  We  are  sinners, 
we  have  erred  exceedingly,  and  we  have  seen  the  infinite  charity 
of  God  stream  forth  in  the  majesty  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  possible 
for  us  to  bear  the  splendor  of  that  presence  only  when  love  has 
taken  the  place  of  fear,  and  we  feel  that  we  need  fear  nothing, 
neither  death  nor  hell  nor  men.  When  others  are  in  anguish  and 
bitterness  of  spirit,  what  have  we  to  fear,  resting  on  the  name  of 
Christ?  "For,"  says  the  apostle,  "I  am  persuaded  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor 
things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any 
other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God 
which  is  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 


^  XV. 
GUILT  OF  JUDGING.— CONTEMPTUOUSNESS. 

(from  autogPcAph  notes.) 

Brighton,  November  24,  1850. 

"But  why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought 
thy  brother?  for  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ." — 
Rom.  xiv.  10. 

By  the  way  in  which  these  words  are  read  the  apostle's  meaning 
may  be  preserved  or  lost.  If  you  read,  "  AVhy  dost  thou  judge 
thy  brother  ?  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother  ?  for  we 
shall  all  .stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,"  it  simply  im- 
plies that  the  apostle,  speaking  to  the  same  person,  blames  two 
things  which  he  might  do:  why  dost  thou  judge?  or  why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought? 

Whereas  if  we  read  it  thus :  Wliy  dost  thou  judge  ?  why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought  ? — then  the  real  sense  is  kept ;  and  the  apostle 
speaks  to  two  classes  of  persons.  To  the  first  he  says.  Why 
judge?  then,  turning  to  the  second.  Why  dost  thou  set  at  nought? 

In  the  commencement  of  the  chapter  it  appears  that  there  were 
in  Rome  two  sets  of  Christians,  the  weak  and  the  strong. 

The  weak  were  those  weak  in  the  principles  of  Christianity, 
who  had  lingering  scruples,  the  remnants  of  Judaism,  for  instance, 
respecting  days  and  things.     They  believed  in  the  inherent  sane- 


Guilt  of  Judging. — Contcmpt^iousncss.  103 

tity  of  Sabbath-days  and  new  moons,  and  in  the  inherent  polkition 
of  certain  things,  such  as  tainted  meats.  Consequently  they  ob- 
served all  the  days,  and  ate  herbs  instead  of  meat.  The  other 
Christians  were  the  strong — strong  in  the  principles  of  Christian- 
ity. They  understood  the  largeness  and  breadth  of  Christianity, 
and  had  grasped  the  truth  that  it  is  Christ  in  the  heart,  the  Spirit 
of  God  within  the  soul.  They  understood  that  it  is  the  spirit  of 
man  which  sanctifies  or  pollutes  what  it  touches ;  that  no  day  has 
any  inherent  holiness  in  itself,  and  no  meat  any  inherent  pollution. 
Hence  they  esteemed  all  days  alike ;  and  they  believed  that  they 
might  eat  all  things. 

So  far  there  was  no  great  harm.  On  the  one  side  a  little  nar- 
rowness which  would  wear  away ;  on  the  other  a  little  more  en- 
lightenment was  needed;  and  the  apostle  was  content  to  say, 
*'  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind." 

But  then  these  Roman  Christians  went  further.  The  narrow- 
minded,  scrupulous  Christians  judged — that  is,  condemned,  their 
freer  brethren  for  doing  those  things  from  which  they  themselves 
abstained.  Because  they  looked  upon  all  days  as  alike,  and  ate  all 
meats,  they  pronounced  them  unchristian.  To  these,  therefore, 
the  apostle  said,  "Why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?" 

On  the  other  hand,  the  enlightened,  strong-minded  Christians — 
not  necessarily  better  men,  but  only  more  clear  in  their  views — 
heartily  despised  the  bigotry  and  narrowness  of  those  who  were 
so  particular  about  days ;  nay,  apparently  even  went  so  far  as  to 
insult  their  feelings  by  a  wanton  indulgence  in  those  things  which 
they  condemned.  They  openly  profaned  the  sacred  days ;  they 
publicly  ate  in  the  heathen  temples  meat  which  had  been  sacri- 
ficed to  idols.  To  them,  therefore,  the  apostle  said,  "  Why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother  ?" 

Our  thoughts  will  therefore  best  divide  themselves  into  these 
two  branches : 

I.  The  Supremacy  of  Conscience. 

II.  The  Infringement  of  the  sacred  Rights  of  Conscience. 

T.  The  Supremacy  of  Conscience.  The  principle  on  which  Paul 
forbade  uncharitable  judgment  and  contemptuousness  was  the  su- 
premacy of  the  individual  conscience.  It  is  throughout  the  chapter 
the  key-note,  the  master-thought,  of  all :  "  Let  every  man  be  fully 
persuaded  in  his  own  mind,"  "  We  shall  all  stand  before  the  judg- 


1 04  Gil  Hi  of  Judging . — ContempUioiisness. 

ment-seat  of  Christ,"  "  So  then  every  one  of  iis  shall  give  account 
of  himself  to  God,"  "  Let  us  not  therefore  judge  one  another  any 
more ;  but  judge  this  rather,  that  no  man  put  a  stumbling-block 
or  an  occasion  to  fall  in  his  brother's  way,"  "  Who  art  thou  that 
judgest  another  man's  servant?  to  his  own  master  he  standeth  or 
falleth.  Yea,  he  shall  be  holden  up ;  for  God  is  able  to  make  him 
stand." 

According  to  Paul,  nothing  is  to  supersede  personal  conviction. 
Conscience  is  the  supreme  tribunal  erected  within  a  man's  own 
soul.  There  is  no  appeal  to  the  opinion  of  privileged  persons. 
The  apostle  would  not  allow  them  to  condemn  for  conscientious 
acts :  "  Let  no  man  judge  you."  Be  indifferent  to  man's  judgment. 
Brethren,  for  views  and  opinions  and  things  which  belong  to  our 
own  consciences,  and  do  not  interfere  with  the  happiness  of  others, 
do  not  mind  the  denial  of  your  Christian  character  by  fallible  men. 
Be  in  no  anxiety.  Human  passions  cannot  bar  your  Christian 
rights.  Let  them  judge  or  despise.  Feel  that  you  owe  allegiance 
to  Christ,  and  in  that  sacred,  solitary  feeling  remain  calm. 

There  is  no  appeal  to  public  authority.  They  who  are  zealous 
for  uniformity  w^ould  have  thought  this  a  great  occasion  for  the 
Church  or  the  legislator  to  step  in — rule  the  question,  decide  it 
once  for  all,  and  so  put  an  end  to  this  variety.  What  could  be 
worse  than  that  one  should  keep  the  day  and  another  not  keep  it? 
Now,  therefore,  if  ever,  was  the  time  for  an  apostle  to  interfere. 
But  there  is  a  great  lesson  to  be  learned  from  the  fact  that  Paul 
did  not  interfere.  He  did  not  rule  that  the  weak  must  give  up 
their  scruples  or  that  the  strong  must  yield  to  them.  His  own 
opinion  was  undoubted ;  he  would  have  held  with  the  larger,  freer 
view ;  but  he  would  not  enforce  this  his  own  opinion  upon  the 
weaker  brethren.  And  if  the  inspired  apostle  would  not  decide, 
no  Church  has  a  right  to  enforce  rules  in  these  matters ;  no  leg- 
islature has  a  right  to  step  in  to  compel  such  uniformity.  No 
private  Christian  has  a  right  to  ask  a  legislature  to  compel  others 
to  observe  days  as  he  does. 

Let  us  guard  ourselves  from  a  possible  misconception  of  these 
words.  Let  us  not  mistake  supremacy  of  personal  conscience  for 
supremacy  of  individual  will.  "  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded 
in  his  own  mind."  We  draw  a  distinction  between  the  conviction, 
or  full  persuasion,  which  has  become  part  of  a  man's  self — that 
which  he  believes  as  the  result  of  much  inquiry — and  opinion, 


Guilt  of  Jtidging. — Contemptiwusncss.  105 

which  is  but  half-conviction.  The  apostle  asserted  the  sanctity  of 
convictions ;  they  are  the  solemn  solitary  positions  in  which  a  man 
stands  before  God ;  but  we  must  not  exalt  our  opinions  to  the 
rank  of  convictions.  Some  people  take  up  opinions  in  the  light- 
est way,  and  expect  for  them  all  the  deference  due  to  Christian 
conviction.  They  say,  Think  what  you  like,  it  does  not  matter ; 
your  own  opinion  is  just  as  likely  to  be  true  as  that  of  another. 
The  result  would  be  universal  anarchy  and  license. 

St.  Paul  is  very  far  from  saying  that ;  he  does  not  say.  You 
are  not  accountable  for  your  opinion ;  he  simply  says,  You  are 
not  accountable  to  fallible  man.  To  God  you  are.  "  We  must 
stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ."  He  does  not  say,  You 
may  observe  these  things  or  not,  as  you  like ;  he  says,  "  He  that 
observeth  the  day,  observeth  it  to  the  Lord  ;  and  he  that  observeth 
not  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he  doth  not  observe  it ;  he  that  eateth, 
eateth  to  the  Lord,  for  he  givetli  God  thanks ;  and  he  that  eateth 
not,  to  the  Lord  he  eateth  not,  and  giveth  God  thanks" — provided 
it  is  done  conscientiously  to  the  Lord.  He  does  not  say  private 
judgment  is  right ;  he  only  says  there  is  a  right  of  private  judg- 
ment, irresponsible  except  to  God. 

IL  We  pass  on  now  to  consider  the  violation  of  the  rights  of 
conscience,  and  this  in  two  ways : 

First,  by  unchristian  judging :  "  Why  dost  thou  judge  thy 
brother?" 

Let  us  explain  what  judging  is.  Judging  is  persecuting;  it 
w^as  the  procedure  of  the  Dark  Ages:  men  were  persecuted  for 
their  conscientious  views.  Rome  assumed  infallibility,  and  the 
secular  law  burned  or  tortured  all  whose  minds  were  not  shaped 
to  the  approved  standard. 

But  let  us  come  home  to  ourselves,  and  consider  the  judgment, 
persecution,  condemnation,  which  is  not  peculiar  to  Rome,  but  be- 
longs to  human  nature.  We  make  the  measure  of  our  own  con- 
ceptions the  measure  and  limit  of  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of 
others.  Let  us  take  these  very  cases  cited  by  the  apostle — the 
observance  of  the  Sabbath-day,  and  the  abstaining  from  certain 
things  pronounced  worldly.  What  do  we  with  such  as  do  not 
coincide  in  our  views  on  these  matters  ?  You  hear  insinuations 
and  surmises,  that  the  man  is  lax,  or  a  Sabbath-breaker,  or  a  world- 
ly man.    If  he  be  a  minister  or  a  bishop,  he  is  scarcely  allowed  to 

5* 


io6  Gidlt  of  Judging. — Contcmpttwusncss. 

be  called  a  Christian ;  tliey  say  he  is  a  Socinian  or  an  infidel.  Fur- 
ther off,  his  morals  are  assailed,  and  a  vicious  life  is  charged  against 
him. 

Now  this  is  judging.  It  is  not  life  or  personal  liberty  that  is 
assailed,  but  character,  which  is  as  precious  as  life.  If  you  spare 
a  man's  life  and  destroy  his  fair  fame,  you  cripple  his  influence, 
and  you  make  him  a  pariah  and  an  outcast,  till  he  feels  alone. 
Have  you  not  judged  him  ? 

Now  let  us  look  at  the  guilt  and  wrong  of  this.  In  the  first 
place,  there  is  its  arrogance.  Such  judging  can  only  be  defended 
on  the  claim  of  infallibility.  Kome  makes  that  claim,  and  is  con- 
sistent in  persecuting ;  but  Protestants,  who  do  not  make  it,  are 
inconsistent. 

Are  those  who  judge  others  wiser  than  their  brethren?  Are 
they  free  from  human  frailty  ?  Are  they  the  meek,  the  learned,  the 
holy,  and  the  wise  ?  or  are  they  not  generally  the  self-instructed, 
the  weakest  of  both  sexes,  the  impetuous,  the  talkative,  who  pre- 
sume to  judge  on  the  authority,  perhaps,  of  some  minister,  who  is 
to  them  as  a  pope  ?  "  Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's 
servant  ?  to  his  own  master  he  standeth  or  f alleth." 

And,  secondly,  it  utterly  fails  in  procuring  what  it  aims  at, 
which  is  uniformity  of  opinion. 

Uniformity  of  opinion  is  the  ideal  good  which  men  have  tried 
for  ages  to  attain,  by  judgment,  by  denunciation,  by  exclusion. 
Rome  tried  it  for  at  least  one  thousand  years;  England  tried  it 
for  three  centuries  in  Ireland.  Have  we  got  uniformity  there? 
Is  Christendom  more  united  than  it  was  in  the  time  of  the  apos- 
tle ?  The  airy  dream  is  further  off  than  ever ! 
And,  in  the  third  place,  it  destroys  free  inquiry. 
We  boast  of  our  Protestant  freedom  ;  we  say  that  Romanists 
shut  up  the  Bible,  but  that  we  give  it  without  note  or  comment, 
and  bid  men  judge  for  themselves.  Now  think,  do  we  not  really 
say, "  Here  is  the  Bible  :  read  it  for  yourself ;  but  these  doctrines, 
and  no  other,  you  must  find  in  it ;  inquire  freely,  but  at  your  peril 
arrive  at  any  other  conclusion  than  this;  here  is  the  truth,  and 
here  is  the  Bible  to  prove  it  by  ?"  Is  it  not  manifest  that  this  is 
a  bitter  mockery,  and  that  it  only  gives  the  name  of  liberty ! 

Hence  it  comes  to  pass  that  men  will  not  bear  to  hear  the 
truth.  They  think  that  they  have  it  already,  in  the  small  com- 
pass of  a  single  mind,  and  they  come  to  church  to  hear  it  repeated 


Gil  lit  of  Judging. — Contemptuoiisncss.  1 07 

to  them  in  a  sermon ;  not  to  get  fresli  gleams  of  infinite  truth,  but, 
holding  all  the  infinite  in  their  minds,  to  criticise  any  departure 
from  it.  The  multitude  dare  not  think,  and  they  who  think  dare 
not  speak.  And  this  we  call  free  inquiry !  This  is  the  present 
case  of  Christian  society,  to  my  mind  an  awful  and  appalling  one. 
What  is  there  to  prevent  the  spirit  of  the  old  times  being  applied 
to  us  ? — "  The  prophets  prophesy  falsely,  and  the  priests  bear  rale 
by  their  means,  and  my  people  love  to  have  it  so ;  and  what  will 
be  the  end  thereof  ?" 

The  other  way  in  which  these  rights  are  violated  is  by  con- 
temptuousness :  "Why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother?" 

The  sin  of  judging  is  the  sin  of  the  naiTow-minded.  But  there 
is  a  sin  into  which  the  liberal-minded  are  apt  to  fall — the  sin  of 
contempt  for  narrowness,  and  scorn  for  scruples. 

Now  draw  a  distinction  between  largeness  of  view  and  large- 
ness of  heart.  A  narrow  mind  is  not  always  a  narrow  heart.  To 
be  strong  is  not  necessarily  to  be  strong  in  goodness,  only  strong 
in  power  of  grasping  a  principle. 

There  are  worse  things  than  narrow  views.  Nay,  often  formal- 
ism and  superstition  go  along  with  great  earnestness  of  life.  The 
missionaries  often  hold  views  infinitely  narrow,  and  yet  these  men 
give  their  lives  and  energies  to  turn  men  to  God,  and  thus  shame 
those  of  larger  views.  Doctor  Johnson  believed  in  apparitions, 
Pascal  in  modern  miracles,  Xavier  in  papal  supremacy,  Fenelon, 
one  of  the  saintliest  of  men,  in  transubstantiation.  Many  a  good 
English  Christian  is  as  scrupulous  about  the  Sabbath  as  if  he  were 
a  Jew.  Many  of  another  class  are  as  particular  about  fasting  as 
if  it  were  a  moral  duty. 

W^hat,  then  ?  Shall  we  say  that  they  are  very  narrow,  and  feel 
contempt  for  them  ?  Oh,  but  take  heed  how  you  despise  any  of 
God's  little  ones,  if  they  acted  and  believed  thus  to  the  Lord. 
For  what  is  largeness  of  view  compared  with  devotedness  of  life  ? 

"There  is  some  soul  of  goodness  in  things  evil, 
Would  men  observingly  distil  it  out." 

I  have  learned  to  perceive  that  where  good  men  have  clung  to 
a  superstition  or  a  form,  or  a  narrow  miserable  view,  it  is  for  the 
sake  of  some  deep  truth  with  which  it  seems  to  stand  connected, 
and  which  I  believe  as  well  as  they.  So  in  the  speculations  so 
common  in  these  days,  our  sin  is  likely  to  be  contempt. 


io8  '^  TJie  Christian  Ministi'yr 

In  conclusion,  observe  the  great  principle  on  wliicli  the  apostle 
forbade  contemptiiousness,  that  there  is  a  soul  of  goodness  even 
in  things  evil.  By  things  evil,  I  mean  not  things  morally  evil, 
but  intellectually  wrong.  Hear  what  the  apostle  saith  of  these, 
that  although  those  men  were  wrong  in  their  conceptions,  yet  they 
did  all  things  to  the  glory  of  God.  Therefore  we  ever  love  to 
penetrate  below  the  surface,  for  we  are  certain  of  this,  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  the  hearts  of  His  believing  people  is  one  and  the 
same  Spirit.  Here  were  two  cases :  the  one  man  thought  that  he 
might  eat  all  things,  the  other  felt  that  he  was  forbidden  every- 
thing but  herbs.  These  men,  though  they  thought  the  opposite, 
yet  in  the  depth  of  their  hearts  were  the  same,  for  the  object  of 
both  was  to  give  God  glory.  Now,  this  is  the  only  principle  on 
which  to  found  Christian  charity,  not  on  that  contemptuous  indo- 
lence which  holds  that  all  opinions  are  equally  right,  nor,  on  the 
other  hand,  on  that  which  looks  on  all  as  equally  wrong ;  but  on 
that  love  which  looks  to  the  good  at  the  bottom  of  all  false  views, 
that  love  which  looks  to  the  heart  rather  than  to  the  view ;  that 
love  which,  retaining  its  own  convictions,  penetrates  and  seeks  to 
trace  the  faith,  and  holiness,  and  love  which  lie  beneath  the  dif- 
ferent forms  of  error.  It  is  only  when  we  have  learned  this  that 
we  can  cease  from  judging  and  love  all  men  as  Christ  loved  us. 


XVI. 
"THE   CHRISTIAN"  MINISTRY." 

Brighton,  December  15,  1850. 

"What  went  ye  out  for  to  see?  A  prophet?  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  and 
more  than  a  prophet.  For  this  is  he  of  whom  it  is  written,  Behold,  I  send 
my  messenger  before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee." — 
Matt.  xi.  9,  10. 

The  Church  services  for  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent  fix  our  at- 
tention chiefly  on  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer  to  judgment ;  and, 
accordingly,  our  subject  was  the  principle  of  the  judgment-coming 
of  the  Son  of  Man.  On  the  second  Sunday  they  rather  fasten  our 
attention  on  the  Scriptures  as  the  preparation  for  His  coming; 
and  accordingly  our  subject  then  w^as  the  principle  of  Scripture 
interpretation.     No  one  can  have  read  attentively  the  services  of 


*'  TJic  Christian  Ministry T  109 

tliis  day  without  perceiving  tliat  tlie  main  subject  is  the  Christian 
ministry.  The  Epistle  is  that  remarkable  portion  of  Scripture  in 
which  St.  Paul,  after  protesting  against  the  exaggerated  w^ay  in 
which  the  Corinthians  had  exalted  their  ministry,  takes  for  the 
Christian  ministry  far  low^er  ground :  "  Let  a  man  so  account  of 
us  as  of  the  ministers  of  Christ  and  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of 
God."  Ministers  and  stewards,  that  is,  servants  and  dependents ; 
"  the  mysteries  of  God  "  mean,  not  things  hidden,  but  things  once 
hidden  and  now  revealed.  In  the  Collect  a  parallel  is  draw^n  be- 
tween the  career  of  John  the  Baptist  and  the  Christian  ministry  ; 
and,  turning  to  the  gospel  appointed  for  the  day,  we  find  the  char- 
acter of  John  the  Baptist  given  by  lips  infallible :  "  What  went 
ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  and  more 
than  a  prophet."  The  Church  of  England  has  therefore  selected 
as  her  pattern  for  the  Christian  ministry — not  a  ]>riest,  but  w 
prophet ;  not  Aaron,  but  John  the  Baptist — telling  us  distinctly 
that  the  Church  regards  her  ministers  as  typified  by  prophets,  not 
by  priests.  This,  then,  is  our  subject  for  to-day,  the  Christian  min- 
istry, what  it  is  not,  and  what  it  is :  it  is  not  a  line  of  priests,  it 
is  a  succession  of  prophets. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  not  a  line  of  priests.  Let  us  under- 
stand what  a  priesthood  is.  A  priesthood  is  based  upon  the  as- 
sumption of  a  spiritual  inherent  superiority  of  one  class  over  an- 
other, so  that  the  inferior  class  is  incapable  of  offering  any  wor- 
ship or  sacrifice  to  God.  Now,  this  system  may  be  founded  upon 
three  supposed  grounds — first,  on  the  basis  of  superiority  of  race  ; 
secondly,  on  that  of  superior  character ;  and,  thirdly,  on  the  basis 
of  the  superiority  of  inward  knowledge.  Almost  all  the  priest- 
hoods of  the  East  are  based  on  the  superiority  of  race ;  they  re- 
gard themselves  as  the  mediators  between  God  and  man,  the  ex- 
pounders of  the  will  of  God,  through  whom  alone  man  can  offer 
sacrifice  acceptable  to  God.  It  is  plain  that  a  priesthood  such  as 
this  can  only  be  kept  up  by  the  priority  of  race.  Another  princi- 
ple is  that  of  personal  superiority  of  character ;  but  it  is  evident 
that  such  a  priesthood  is  not  hereditary,  it  ends  with  the  man 
himself;  such  a  priesthood  we  find  typically  in  Melchisedek. 
The  third  basis  on  which  such  a  priesthood  may  rest  is  the  ground 
of  superiority  of  knowledge  both  naturally  and  supernaturally  ac- 
quired.    In  either  case  the  only  w\ay  to  keep  up  a  priesthood  is 


1 10  *'  TJie  Christian  Ministry ^ 

by  tbe  exclusion  of  all  others  from  knowledge.  Such,  brethren, 
is,  will  be,  and  ever  has  been  the  mode  by  which  a  priesthood  has 
endeavored  to  maintain  its  superiority.  Thus  it  was  among  the 
Jew^s ;  the  prophets  declared  that  the  people  perished  for  lack  of 
knowledge.  Our  Redeemer  Himself  protested  against  them,  say- 
ing that  they  had  taken  away  the  key  of  knowledge.  That  which 
has  been  done  recently  by  the  priesthood  in  Ireland  is  by  the  in- 
stinct of  self-preservation,  because  the  moment  that  there  is  equal- 
ity in  knowledge,  the  priesthood  falls  forever. 

Now  let  us  observe  that  the  principle  of  the  priesthood,  after 
all,  rests  upon  a  truth,  otherwise  it  could  not  so  long  have  held 
sway  over  men's  minds.  There  is  in  a  certain  sense  a  mediatorial 
power  which  man  exercises  over  man ;  it  is  possible  that  the  su- 
perior mind  ever  must  be  the  medium  of  communication  between 
God  and  the  inferior  character.  It  is  possible  that  there  must 
ever  be  a  medium  through  which  the  idea  of  God  is  presented. 
But  the  difference  between  a  priesthood  and  a  ministry  is  this, 
that  the  object  of  the  priesthood  is  to  keep  up  that  distinction, 
while  the  object  of  the  ministry  is  to  obliterate  it.  The  parent  is 
the  medium  of  communication  between  God  and  the  child ;  but 
that,  in  process  of  years,  becomes  obliterated  when  the  child  knows 
as  much  as  the  father.  In  ancient  times  Moses  was  in  knowledge, 
both  temporal  and  spiritual,  immeasurably  above  the  nation  of 
Israel,  and  he  is  therefore  called  a  mediator ;  but  it  was  the  object 
of  Moses  not  to  keep  up  that  distinction,  but  to  break  it  through, 
and  therefore  when  one  of  his  followers  was  indignant  because 
others  were  prophesying  in  the  camp,  the  noble  expression  of  the 
prophet  was,  "  Enviest  thou  for  my  sake  ?  would  God  that  all  the 
Lord's  people  were  prophets,  and  that  the  Lord  would  put  His 
spirit  upon  them."  There  was  an  immeasurable  distinction  be- 
tween John  the  Baptist  and  the  nation  he  taught,  but  the  life  of 
John  was  intended  to  do  away  with  that  distinction.  The  apostles 
were  in  this  respect  mediators,  and  so  far  priests.  But  was  it 
their  intention  to  remain  so  forever  ?  Listen  to  the  Apostle  Paul 
in  those  words  of  glorious  irony :  after  having  grounded  his  right 
to  the  apostleship,  he  says  to  those  claiming  knowledge  equal  to 
his  own,  "  Now  ye  are  full,  now  ye  are  rich ;  ye  have  reigned  as 
kings  without  us;"  and  then,  dropping  the  tone  of  irony,  "I 
would  to  God  ye  did  reign,  that  we  might  reign  with  you."  In 
other  words,  he  wished  that  their  claim  was  true.     And  therefore 


"  The  Christian  Ministry ^  1 1 1 

it  was  that  the  prophecy  of  old  was  taken  np  joyfully  by  the 
apostles  as  the  richest  time  in  the  mediatorial  kingdom,  when  the 
last  offices  of  the  priesthood  should  be  taken  away ;  the  time, 
saith  the  Lord,  "  AVhen  they  shall  no  more  teach  every  man  his 
brother  saying,  Know  the  Lord,  for  all  shall  know  Me  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest."     This,  then,  is  the  spiritual  priesthood. 

Now,  let  us  understand  what  a  priesthood  so  called  is.  It  is  the 
office  of  the  priest  to  be  the  representative  of  man  before  God; 
he  takes  the  mourning  and  the  lamentation  of  the  people  for  sin, 
bearing  it  upon  his  breast  before  God,  and  through  his  lips  that 
remorse  becomes  acceptable  to  God.  Now,  by  this  intervention 
the  spirit  of  man  is  cut  off  from  God,  and  by  the  mysterious 
means  of  propitiation  God  is  represented  as  far  off ;  for  you  will 
observe  that  the  office  of  the  priesthood  is  not  to  reconcile  man 
to  God,  but  to  reconcile  God  to  man.  To  reconcile  man  to  God, 
that  is  human,  and  is  done  by  superior  faith  and  love ;  but  you 
do  not  thereby  change  the  disposition  of  God :  that  is  what  the 
priesthood  pretends  to  do.  Let  us  observe  the  effects  of  this  sys- 
tem :  first  it  removes  God  far  from  the  soul,  whereas  God  is  ever 
near;  nearer  when  man  prays,  when  he  repents,  when  he  loves, 
than  when  he  is  receiving  any  ecclesiastical  ordinance ;  but  the 
spirit  of  the  priestly  system  is  to  remove  God  far  off  from  man, 
to  represent  Him  to  us  as  a  far  distant  sovereign,  seated  on  a 
throne  of  splendor.  Secondly,  it  degrades  humanity,  for  its  lan- 
guage tells  us  not  of  the  affinity  of  man  to  God,  but  of  the  im- 
mense distance  between  the  two ;  giving  also  an  exaggerated  ex- 
pression of  the  weakness  of  man,  and  of  the  nothingness  of  the 
power  of  God  within  the  soul.  And  then  the  tone  and  spirit  of 
such  a  system  becomes  either  depressed  and  melancholy,  or  else 
encourages  a  vicarious  reliance  on  its  ordinances.  Once  more,  its 
tendency  is  to  produce  a  slavish  worship ;  for  is  it  not  true  that 
under  such  a  system  men  come  into  the  presence  of  God  rather 
to  throw  off  guilt  than  to  pour  out  the  soul  in  adoration  and 
thanksgiving  ?  Theirs  is  but  the  trembling  of  a  condemned  crimi- 
nal before  his  judge.  Lastly,  it  is  all  retrospective — a  retrospec- 
tive holiness  from  which  we  have  fallen,  a  retrospective  purity  in 
which  we  were  once,  retrospective  sin  to  be  obliterated ;  retrospec- 
tive all,  there  is  nothing  of  the  ennobling  of  life,  telling  of  times 
beyond.  This,  then,  is  the  system  of  the  priesthood :  first,  a  distant 
God  ;  secondly,  a  mean  humanity ;  thirdly,  a  servile  worship ;  and, 
lastly,  a  retrospective  reverence. 


112  "  The  Christian  Ministry T 

11.  We  pass  on  now  to  consider  what  the  ministry  is.  We  say 
it  is  prophetical,  not  priestly. 

Let  us  understand  what  the  prophet's  office  was;  John  was  a 
"  prophet,  yea,  and  much  more  than  a  prophet,"  and  the  Church 
of  England  has  compared  her  ministers  to  him.  We  greatly  mis- 
take if  we  think  that  the  office  of  the  prophet  was  simply  to  pre- 
dict future  events ;  predictors,  no  doubt,  the  prophets  were,  but 
this  formed  a  very  small  portion  of  their  ministrations.  Take,  for 
instance,  John  ;  his  sole  prediction  was,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand."  Even  their  prophecies  were  far  rather  great  eternal 
principles,  which  must  fulfil  themselves  forever,  than  a  reference 
to  any  one  particular  event.  It  is  far  grander  to  state  eternal 
truths  like  these  than  to  state  facts  which  take  place  but  once. 
This,  then,  was  the  office  of  the  prophet,  to  teach  eternal  truths. 
We  observe  that  this  prophetic  office  was  far  higher  than  the 
priesthood ;  for  we  find  that  Moses,  the  lawgiver  and  prophet, 
creates  Aaron  the  priest.  This  is  a  thing  worthy  the  considera- 
tion of  those  who  are  shocked  at  the  supremacy  of  the  sovereign ; 
the  lawgiver  and  the  prophet  here  made  the  priest ;  the  king  was 
above  the  priest,  the  priest  beneath  the  prophet. 

Secondly,  we  observe,  respecting  the  prophetic  office,  that  all  the 
most  sublime  passages  in  the  Bible  are  from  the  writings  of  the 
prophets.  The  priestly  writings  were  but  temporary.  Take,  for 
instance,  the  ritual  of  Judaism  in  the  books  of  Leviticus  and  of 
Chronicles ;  the  first  we  rarely  read  in  our  Church  services,  the 
second  never.  Ask  you  what  the  passages  are  that  make  our 
hearts  burn  and  make  the  Bible  ilie  book  %  Are  they  not  the  Psalms 
and  prophetic  writings?  The  outpourings  of  a  devout  soul  to 
God  in  all  its  ways,  in  humbleness,  in  trust,  in  aspiration,  are  the 
passages  in  the  prophetic  writings  which  make  the  Bible  the  book 
of  all  the  world. 

Lastly,  we  observe  this  difference  between  the  prophet  and  the 
priest,  that  it  was  the  office  of  the  prophet  to  counteract  the  priest- 
ly office.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  by  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah, 
"  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations ;  incense  is  an  abomination  to  me ; 
your  new  moons  and  your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth ;  they 
are  a  trouble  unto  me,  I  am  weary  to  bear  them."  And  then  He 
goes  on  to  say,  "  Wash  you,  make  you  clean ;  cease  to  do  evil, 
learn  to  do  well."  In  the  New  Testament  we  find  the  priests  de- 
manding ritual  sanctity  and  the  performance  of  all  the  appointed 


"  The  Christian  Ministry T  1 1 3 

services ;  wliile  tlie  voice  of  the  prophet  is  heard  saying,  "  Repent, 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  This  was  prophetic  teach- 
ing, and  consequently  the  priest  was  ever  against  the  prophet. 
The  priesthood  stoned  Stephen,  put  John  in  prison,  and  it  was  by 
sacerdotal  orders  that  the  great  Prophet  of  the  world  was  cruci- 
fied and  slain  ;  for  they  knew  that  if  the  prophets  were  allowed  to 
remain,  the  priesthood  was  at  an  end  forever. 

We  say,  then,  that  the  Christian  ministry  is  prophetical,  not 
priestly.  And  let  us  observe  that  the  ministry  of  our  Blessed 
Lord  Himself  here  on  earth  was  prophetical,  and  not  priestly.  I 
lay  a  stress  on  that  expression  "  here  on  earth^'^  because  unques- 
tionably He  is  a  priest  in  heaven  above.  The  high-priesthood  of 
the  Son  of  Man  is,  I  believe,  spoken  of  in  only  one  passage  of 
Scripture,  in  the  Hebrews ;  there  His  priesthood  is  denied  here 
on  earth,  but  asserted  to  be  in  heaven  :  "  For  if  He  were  on  earth, 
He  should  not  be  a  priest ;"  in  other  words,  there  is  a  priesthood 
now,  but  no  earthly  priesthood.  He  is  the  eternal  Word  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  the  medium  of  communication  between  God 
and  man,  the  ladder  that  reaches  from  earth  to  heaven,  and  that 
which  reconciles  God  to  man,  and  man  to  God.  The  Christian 
ministry  is  preparatory,  and  accordingly  the  Church  of  England 
caught  the  spirit  of  that  ministry  and  represented  it  by  the  min- 
istry of  John  the  Baptist ;  the  minister  of  Christ  is  but  a  herald 
to  prepare  His  coming ;  and  then,  and  only  then,  has  he  done  his 
work  when  he  has  endeavored  to  detach  trust  and  admiration 
from  himself  and  to  fasten  them  upon  Jesus  Christ ;  and  when 
he  feels  that  he  is  becoming  every  day  less  and  less  necessary  to 
those  whom  he  has  taught  because  he  has  imparted  to  them  all 
he  knows,  and  led  them  to  the  everlasting  fountain  which  shall 
never  be  exhausted.  The  very  spirit  of  the  Christian  ministry  con- 
sists in  these  blessed  words,  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  de- 
crease." I  fulfil  my  course;  it  will  soon  be  done;  I  point  to 
Christ. 

Brethren,  in  conclusion,  I  notice  two  points  which  seem  to  fa- 
vor the  notion  of  a  priesthood. 

First,  I  say  a  few  words  on  the  matter  of  absolution.  Unques- 
tionably there  is  a  power  of  absolution  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Church  of  Christ ;  but  I  say  again,  it  is  the  power  of  the  prophet, 
and  not  of  the  priest.    In  the  case  of  John  the  Baptist,  men  came 


1 14  ''  TJie  Christian  Ministry ^ 

to  liim  confessing  tlieir  sins ;  they  were  baptized  by  liim  in  the 
river,  and  rose  from  that  water  donbtless  absolved,  and  feeling 
their  justification.  Remember,  I  pray  you,  what  absolution  is : 
forgiveness  is  the  act  of  God,  absolution  is  the  act  of  man.  Na- 
than conveyed  absolution  to  David :  "  The  Lord  hath  put  away 
thy  sin ;"  this  is  absolution,  the  voice  of  man  echoing  here  on  earth 
the  voice  of  God  in  heaven — "the  Son  of  Man  hath  power  on 
earth  to  forgive  sins."  Observe,  however,  that  this  is  prophetical, 
not  priestly  ;  it  is  not  the  ministerial  act  of  the  priest,  but  the  pro- 
phetic power  of  one  representing  God,  speaking  in  His  name, 
and  so  conveying  the  feeling  of  God's  pardon.  Tell  us,  breth- 
ren, if  a  man  has  taken  from  another  superstitious  feeling ;  if 
he  has  told  him  that  the  only  one  thing  to  be  dreaded  is  doing 
wrong ;  and  if,  having  thereby  broken  the  shackles  of  supersti- 
tion, he  has  enabled  him  to  stand  erect  in  the  spirit  of  a  son,  lias 
not  that  man  absolved  his  brother  ? 

Once  more,  that  in  which  the  ministry  would  seem  to  be  a 
priestly  power  is  the  apostolical  succession.  This  doctrine,  as 
stated  usually,  is  this :  that  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  through 
physical  contact,  the  power  of  God  is  conveyed  and  a  Divine  right 
given  to  the  priests.  A  doctrine  such  as  this  rests  upon  a  truth 
like  most  other  errors.  There  is  an  apostolical  succession  ;  but  it 
is  a  succession  of  prophets,  and  not  of  priests ;  it  is  a  succession 
never  extinct  or  broken ;  it  is  a  race  of  prophets,  not  a  race  of 
priests,  the  spirit  of  those  on  whom  God  is  breathing  out  the 
breath  of  life  and  love.  This  is  the  apostolical  succession.  The 
Son  of  God  was  Himself  a  prophet ;  the  apostles  were  prophets, 
and  their  spirit  has  not  died  out ;  and  so  far  as  we  imbibe  their 
spirit,  we  are  their  successors.  John  the  Baptist  was  endued  with 
the  same  spirit  as  Elias,  and  therefore  was  his  successor  in  a  long 
line ;  and  the  great  mind  of  the  leader  of  the  Reformation  was 
the  offspring  of  the  mind  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  And  so  far  as  we 
evince  the  spirit  of  the  apostles  and  prophets  shall  we  keep  un- 
broken the  line  of  the  apostolical  succession.  .  .  . 


The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary,  1 1 5 


XVII. 
THE  THREE  CROSSES  ON  CALVARY. 

Brighton^  December  22,  1850. 

"  When  they  were  come  to  the  place  which  is  called  Calvary,  there  they 
crucified  him,  and  the  malefactors  ;  one  on  the  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 
the  left." — Luke  xxiii.  33. 

There  is  a  twofold  solemnity  whicli  belongs  to  the  dying  hour. 
It  is  the  winding-up  of  life,  and  it  is  the  commencement  of  eter- 
nity. 

It  is  the  winding-up  of  life ;  life  then  becomes  intelligible. 
Most  of  us  go  through  this  life  scarcely  seeming  what  we  are. 
One  wraps  himself  up  in  coldness,  another  in  half -hypocrisy ;  but 
when  it  comes  to  the  last,  the  whole  is  wound  up,  and  death  lays 
a  hand  so  violent  upon  the  frame  that  the  mask  falls  suddenly  off. 

Again,  it  is  the  commencement  of  eternity,  for  in  a  short  time 
the  body  of  the  dying  man  will  pass  away,  and  his  soul  will  be  in 
possession  of  that  secret  which  we  are  toiling  all  our  lives  to  find. 
And  the  solemnity  of  the  thought  that  he  will  soon  be  in  posses- 
sion of  that  secret  communicates  itself  in  a  degree  to  those  around 
him.  It  is  this  which  gives  importance  and  solemnity  to  the  dy- 
ing hour  even  of  the  meanest.  Around  his  bed  the  great  and  pow- 
erful will  come  as  if  to  read  in  his  countenance  the  secrets  of  their 
own  mortality.  It  is  this  which  gives  even  to  the  dying  hour  of 
the  suicide  something  of  importance.  The  veriest  trifier  that  ever 
fluttered  through  this  awful  world  of  God's  commands  for  one 
hour  at  least  the  world's  attention. 

It  is  these  two  thoughts  which  make  the  dying  hour  so  solemn  ; 
and  a  threefold  portion  of  this  interest  belongs  to  the  scene  of 
Calvary.  Upon  this  Mount  three  crosses  stood  ;  generally  our  at- 
tention is  fixed  only  upon  one,  but  it  becomes  us  to  remember  that 
there  were  three,  and  that  upon  each  a  human  soul  was  breathed 
away.    From  each  there  is  its  own  peculiar  lesson  to  be  gathered. 

Here,  then,  there  is  opened  for  us  a  subject  for  contemplation, 


Ii6  The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary. 

dividing  itself  into  three  brandies :  first,  tlie  dying  hour  of  de- 
votedness ;  secondly,  the  dying  hour  of  impenitence  and  hard- 
ness ;  and,  thirdly,  the  dying  hour  of  penitence. 

I.  First  we  look  at  the  central  cross ;  on  that  cross  of  Christ 
there  was  that  transacted  which  never  can  be  exhibited  in  any  dy- 
ing hour  of  ours.  There  was  exhibited  the  grandest  expression 
of  that  greatest  law  of  ours ;  that  law  according  to  which  life  can- 
not be,  except  through  death.  But  it  is  not  on  this,  the  atone- 
ment, that  we  dwell  now  ;  we  look  upon  Jesus  now  simply  as  a 
dying  man,  and  the  first  lesson  that  we  learn  is  the  conquest  of 
suffering. 

He  was  as  much  bound  to  perform  the  law  of  God  as  the 
meanest  creature  upon  earth.  He  was  as  much  subject  to  the 
law  of  suffering  as  we  are  ;  there  was  a  work  to  be  done  upon  His 
own  soul ;  and  of  Him  in  His  private,  and  not  in  His  public,  capacity 
was  it  said  that  "  the  captain  of  our  salvation  was  made  perfect 
through  suffering."  This  it  is  which  throws  so  much  force  on 
those  inspired  words,  "  He  became  obedient  even  to  the  death  of 
the  cross."  It  was  not  death  alone,  but  death  through  the  cross. 
The  work  of  the  Saviour's  soul  would  have  been  left  imperfect  if 
one  single  drop  of  agony  liad  been  left  untasted ;  and  this  seems 
to  be  shown  by  His  refusing  the  mixture  of  gall  and  myrrh  of- 
fered to  Him  in  order  to  dull  His  sufferings  :  for  it  is  written  that 
"  after  He  had  tasted  thereof  He  would  not  drink."  He  knew 
the  strength  and  blessedness  of  suffering,  and  would  not  meet  His 
death  without  intensely  feeling  it ;  He  would  bear  all ;  He  would 
suffer  all ;  the  Father  had  put  into  His  hand  the  cup  to  drink,  and 
He  had,  as  it  were,  carried  that  cup,  though  brimful  of  agony,  to 
His  lips,  with  a  hand  so  steady  that  not  one  drop  of  all  its  suffer- 
ing trickled  down. 

Here  is  a  lesson  for  us.  Part  of  our  obedience  and  work  here 
on  earth  is  to  be  done  in  vigor  and  in  health ;  part  when  laid  aside 
in  suffering.  Much  of  this  must  be  unintelligible  to  us  here. 
There  is  not  one  present  who  will  not  some  day  exchange  the  vig- 
or of  life  for  a  broken  constitution  and  a  suffering  frame ;  no  one 
can  know  what  suffering  is  till  he  has  known  mental  torture ;  and 
no  one  can  know  the  extremity  of  corporeal  suffering  till,  like  his 
Master,  he  has  counted  the  long  hours  of  torture  one  by  one,  and 
through  night  after  night  has  heard  the  clock  strike  in  protracted 


The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary.  1 1 7 

anguish.  This  is  what  we  are  called  upon  to  endure,  and  tlien  of- 
ten it  is  that  f  retf  ulness  and  impatience  break  across  our  souls,  and 
we  wish  that  the  whole  of  our  future  could  be  concentrated  into 
one  sharp  hour.  Brethren,  a  man's  work  is  not  done  upon  earth, 
so  long  as  God  has  anything  for  him  to  suffer;  the  greatest  of 
our  victories  is  to  be  won  in  passive  endurance ;  in  humbleness,  in 
reliance,  and  in  trust,  we  are  to  learn  to  be  still,  and  know  that 
He  is  God. 

In  the  next  place,  we  learn  from  that  dying  hour  the  influence 
of  personal  holiness.  The  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  the  cross  to 
preach,  but  to  suffer ;  yet  in  that  hour  two  at  least  were  added  to 
the  Church,  two  at  least  were  enrolled  in  the  number  of  those 
that  shall  be  saved  hereafter. 

When  God  threw  Christianity  down  upon  the  world  to  win  her 
way  through  almost  insuperable  impediments,  the  weapon  w^hich 
He  put  into  her  hand,  the  only  weapon,  was  the  talent  and  elo- 
quence of  a  life  of  holiness.  Brethren,  let  the  distinction  be 
drawn  between  the  life  of  holiness  and  the  life  of  mere  blameless- 
ness.  Blamelessness  and  accuracy  are  beautiful  to  look  upon,  but 
they  do  not  save  the  soul.  The  w^orld  has  enlisted  into  her  ser- 
vice the  power  of  talent  and  eloquence,  but  these  are  not  the 
things  that  lead  to  God ;  men  listen  to  your  talent  and  your  elo- 
quence, and  recognize  the  power  of  your  influence ;  but  they  know 
that  all  you  say  may  be  unreal  and  unfelt;  and,  therefore,  they 
come  merely  as  looking  upon  a  picture,  and  admire,  but  nothing 
further.  It  is  not  this,  it  is  the  divine,  mysterious  power  of  holi- 
ness that  tells  upon  the  world. 

What  these  two  men  saw  upon  the  cross  was  different  from 
what  they  had  ever  seen  before.  And  in  the  one  case  contempt 
was  softened  into  adoration,  "Truly  this  man  was  the  Son  of 
God ;"  in  the  other  case,  hardness  was  changed  into  adoring  love, 
"  This  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss."  Now,  what  w\as  it  that 
produced  this  change  ?  It  was  not  the  courage,  for  thousands  had 
died  upon  the  cross  before.  And  if  they  wanted  recklessness,  they 
had  but  to  turn  to  the  other  cross  where  was  one  dying  bravely 
enough,  but  wdiere  was  none  of  the  marvellous  meekness  that  was 
seen  on  the  centre  cross,  none  of  those  words  of  infinite  tender- 
ness, "  Father,  forgive  them,  they  know  not  what  they  do  ;"  there 
w^as  a  recklessness  there  which  enabled  him  to  meet  pain  with  de- 
fiance, but  none  of  those  words  of  meekness  and  trust,  "  Father, 
into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 


1 1 8  The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary. 

Brethren,  it  is  not  talent,  nor  power,  nor  gifts,  that  do  the  work 
of  God,  but  it  is  that  which  lies  within  the  power  of  the  hum- 
blest :  it  is  the  simple,  earnest  life  led  with  Christ  in  God. 

II.  We  are  now,  secondly,  to  consider  the  lesson  which  comes 
from  the  dying  hour  of  impenitence. 

Round  the  cross  of  the  dying  thief  were  accumulated  such 
means  as  never  before  met  together  to  bring  a  man  to  God.  He 
had  felt  the  power  of  pain,  that  power  which  is  often  exerted  in 
the  soul  to  soften  it.  He  had  heard  the  truth  preached  by  one 
recently  converted,  and  we  all  know  the  intensity  and  earnestness 
of  fresh  love;  preached  also  by  a  dying  man,  whose  words  are 
generally  received  with  a  kind  of  veneration,  or,  at  least,  attention. 
There  was  one  beside  that  cross,  moreover,  a  teacher  such  as  no 
other  man  had  ever  had  in  his  dying  hour.  And  yet,  with  all 
these  means  and  advantages,  there  was  nothing  but  a  soul  steeled 
against  the  truth. 

Brethren,  the  lesson  we  learn  from  this  is  the  improbability  of 
a  late  repentance.  There  are  some  men  not  looking  for  anything 
of  the  kind,  but  desperately  looking  forward  to  certain  ruin  here- 
after, who  can  receive  the  announcement  of  approaching  misery 
even  with  calmness.  But  this  is  not  the  feeling  of  most  men 
towards  death.  The  oldest  among  us  here  thinks  there  is  yet 
space  enough  between  him  and  death  for  a  work  still  to  be  done ; 
the  day  is  to  come  when  his  present  pursuits  will  be  given  up,  and 
the  thino-s  of  this  world  exchanared  for  the  care  of  his  immortal 
soul ;  that  which  he  loves  now,  he  thinks  he  shall  hate  then,  for- 
getting that  what  is  pleasant  now  will  be  pleasant  to  the  last. 
And  this  is  what,  more  or  less,  we  are  all  doing ;  there  is  not  one' 
of  us  who  can  lay  his  hand  upon  his  heart  and  say,  "  I  have  given 
up  all ;  I  am  living  now  as  I  should  wish  to  die." 

Now,  let  us  endeavor  to  remember  some  of  the  arguments  which 
make  a  future  change  improbable.  The  first  argument  is  this, 
that  there  comes  a  dulness  and  rigidity  of  the  intellect  as  life  goes 
on;  in  the  old  man's  mind  channels  cut  themselves  —  channels 
through  which  thoughts  flow ;  the  opinions  of  the  man  become 
fixed ;  rarely  does  a  man  change  his  opinions  after  forty  years  of 
age.  And  then  add  to  this  the  feeling  of  insecurity  which  comes 
from  trembling  between  life  and  death,  the  agitation  which  comes 
with  the  dying  hour.     The  probability  of  repentance  is  thus  re- 


The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary.  119 

moved  to  a  distance  almost  infinite.  For  either  delirium  comes, 
or  else  sharp,  acute  pain  which  dissipates  the  faculties. 

Even  looking  at  it  intellectually,  it  becomes  improbable.  The 
dying  thief  had  lived  for  years  with  the  prejudice  that  Jesus  was 
an  impostor ;  and  then,  when  racked  in  torture,  was  not  in  a  state 
in  which  to  change  his  opinions.     As  he  had  lived,  so  he  died. 

Again,  the  improbability  of  this  change  arises  from  the  fixing 
of  the  affections.  All  life  long  this  man  had  lived  with  his  affec- 
tions fixed  on  earth ;  this  is  the  secret  of  that  expression  with 
which  he  taunted  his  Redeemer,  "  If  thou  be  Christ,  save  thyself 
and  us."  Life  is  all  he  asks ;  if  he  could  not  save  his  life,  all  other 
salvation  to  him  seemed  useless.  Brethren,  grant  it  for  one  mo- 
ment that  reason  should  remain  at  the  last  steady  to  judge  of  the 
question  then  before  us,  yet  this  were  not  enough ;  even  if  a  man 
could  hear  the  spade  hollowing  out  his  grave,  and  could  look  upon 
the  cofiin-lid  with  his  own  name  engraved  thereon,  w'ith  the  date 
of  birth  and  the  date  of  death,  there  might  be  much  in  this  to 
disengage  his  heart  from  earth,  but  would  there  be  in  it  one  ele- 
ment to  fasten  his  soul  on  holiness  ? 

Lastly,  there  is  an  improbability  of  change  in  the  deadening  of 
the  conscience.  There  was  an  appeal  made  to  the  conscience  of 
the  dying  thief,  but  made  in  vain :  "  Dost  thou  not  fear  God,  see- 
ing thou  art  in  the  same  condemnation?"  It  was  made  in  vain, 
because  his  conscience  was  in  a  state  of  deadness.  We  find  it 
written  that  God  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart.  It  is  the  greatest 
evil,  and  worst  penalty  of  doing  wrong,  that  at  last  a  man  ceases 
to  distinguish  right  from  w^rong.  This  was  the  state  in  which 
this  man  was;  and  oh!  I  pray  you  to  remember  that  towards  this 
state  we  all  are  hastening  who  are  hardening  our  hearts.  If  there 
be  one  among  us  doing  that,  putting  off  the  time  of  repentance  to 
a  more  convenient  season,  let  him  remember  that  there  are  two 
questions  to  be  asked :  whether  it  is  likely  that  the  change  would 
come  ?  and  whether  there  is  anything  in  pain  that  will  make  ho- 
liness more  lovely  and  more  dear?  And  if,  in  defiance  of  all  ex- 
perience, he  answer  in  the  affirmative,  then  there  is  another  ques- 
tion— whether  God  will  be  trifled  with  so  long,  and  whether  lie 
will  suffer  a  man  to  go  on  enjoying  life  until  he  has  no  fresh  emo- 
tion left,  and  then  will  be  permitted  to  give  the  dregs  of  a  pol- 
luted life  and  a  worn-out  heart  to  the  God  wdiom  he  has  despised 
all  life  long.     The  ancient  prophets  spoke  emphatically  against 


120  TJie  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary. 

offering  God  services  wLich  cost  us  nothing.  The  meaning  they 
intended  to  convey  is  clearly  that  God  will  have  our  best ;  Christ 
gave  the  best,  Himself. 

My  young  brethren,  now,  while  emotion  is  fresh  and  your  affec- 
tions are  worth  the  having,  before  the  time  comes  when  you  are 
worn  and  weary,  "  remember  your  Creator  in  the  days  of  your 
youth !" 

III.  We  turn  now  to  consider  the  dying  hour  of  penitence. 
We  have  said  that  repentance  at  the  last  is  a  thing  improbable. 
Blessed  be  God,  it  is  not  a  thing  impossible.  It  has  been  well 
said  that  there  has  been  one  instance  of  a  late  repentance  given  us 
in  order  that  none  may  despair,  and  but  one  that  none  may  pre- 
sume. The  penitent  tbief  expressed  his  sense  of  guilt  in  these 
words :  "  We  suffer  justly  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds."  We  can 
lay  down  no  rules  for  the  amount  of  grief  and  sorrow ;  to  do  so 
would  be  as  absurd  and  futile  as  to  lay  down  laws  as  to  how  often 
a  forgiving  spirit  might  pardon  an  offending  brother.  There  can 
be  no  law  here,  for  it  is  decided  by  many  things — by  age,  by  sex, 
and  by  constitution. 

We  believe  that  the  Church  of  Rome  has  erred  in  substituting 
penance  for  penitence ;  and  yet  here  Rome  has  in  her  way  ex- 
pressed a  truth,  that  the  natural  result  of  great  sin  will  be  the  ex- 
pression of  great  grief.  Perhaps  we  in  our  Protestantism  have 
erred  in  making  the  way  to  holiness  after  sin  unnaturally  easy. 
We  present  a  few  doctrines  to  the  soul,  and  then,  on  the  accept- 
ance of  a  few  intellectual  truths,  it  is  expected  that  the  great  sin- 
ner will  become  the  great  saint  without  a  tear  of  agony  for  the 
past.  Great  nature  refuses  to  be  thus  trifled  with.  In  God's 
dealing  with  the  soul,  there  is  something  analogous  with  the  cure 
of  wounds.  When  the  cut  is  deep  and  the  blood  flows  freely,  its 
first  effect  is  to  close  the  wound  by  its  coagulation.  So  it  is  with 
grief :  if  it  is  allowed  to  flow  freely,  the  wound  may  soon  be 
healed ;  but  if,  instead  of  grief  and  sorrow,  we  expect  a  few  doc- 
trines to  do  the  work  alone,  then  we  shall  soon  see  the  blood 
break  forth  afresh. 

We  also  remark  here  the  penitent's  zeal  for  Christ;  he  spoke 
as  if  he  himself  had  been  offended,  "Dost  thou  not  fear  God?" 
We  talk  much  of  toleration;  if  we  mean  by  that  a  generous  sym- 
pathy with  the  different  forms  of  opinion,  then  it  is  Christian  ;  if 


The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary,  1 2 1 

toleration  mean  compassion  for  frailty,  and  a  willingness  ever  to 
make  a  distinction  between  tempted  weakness  and  deliberate  evil, 
tlien  toleration  is  nothing  more  than  another  name  for  the  mind 
of  Christ.  But  if  it  mean  that  we  are  to  reckon  one  form  of 
opinion  as  good  as  another,  and  look  upon  sin  merely  as  a  disease 
against  which  we  cannot  feel  indignation,  then  most  unquestiona- 
bly Christianity  has  in  it  no  toleration.  And  I  remark  that  zeal, 
even  though  it  exceed  the  bounds  of  righteousness,  is  a  more 
hopeful  thing  than  lukewarmness ;  better  far  to  be  like  the  Apos- 
tle Paul  before  he  was  an  apostle,  better  to  be  like  the  Sons  of 
Thunder,  better  to  be  like  the  ancient  prophets  using  the  stern 
language  of  denunciation,  than  like  Pilate,  unconcerned  as  to  the 
fate  of  his  prisoner  so  long  as  he  himself  was  absolved  from 
blame.  In  the  former  case,  the  persecuting  Saul  became  the 
large-minded  Paul,  the  most  liberal  and  the  noblest  of  all  the 
spirits  that  have  been  given  to  man ;  and  the  Son  of  Thunder  be- 
came the  Apostle  of  Love.  Years  and  experience  will  by  degrees 
soften  zeal  into  love,  but  there  is  no  remedy  for  lukewarmness. 

Moreover,  we  observe,  in  the  dying  hour  of  the  penitent  thief, 
the  missionary  spirit  of  doing  good.  One  opportunity  only  of 
doing  good  was  given  him,  and  he  used  it  with  all  his  heart. 

If  we  Avere  asked  what  mark  distinguishes  Christianity  from  the 
w^orld,  our  reply  would  be,  charity.  It  is  not  faith,  for  the  religion 
of  Jesus  has  faith  in  common  with  other  religions,  but  it  is  char- 
ity. "  By  this,"  says  our  Master,  "  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are 
my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  The  man  of  love 
may  be  guilty  of  many  blunders  of  doctrine,  while  cold-hearted 
men  may  always  be  intellectually  right ;  but  in  the  last  great  day 
love  will  be  recognized  as  the  one  thing  needful.  The  faults  of 
the  men  of  love  shall  soon  disappear  in  the  Redeemer's  blood,  and 
leave  nothing  there,  save  the  love  of  One  who  loveth  much  be- 
cause much  has  been  forgiven. 

In  conclusion,  we  have  two  remarks  to  make : 

First,  that  the  intermediate  state  is  not  a  state  of  unconscious- 
ness. It  may  be  replied,  "  What  signifies  this  ?"  this  is  interfering 
with  things  unseen ;  we  can  be  calm  in  only  knowing  that  the 
soul  is  with  God.  Our  answer  is,  that  if  God  has  revealed  it,  it 
is  our  duty  to  receive  it ;  and  it  is  by  no  means  unimportant,  for 
though  there  may  be  those  among  men  who  can  leave  that  matter 

6 


122  The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary. 

undecided,  feeling  certain  of  the  love  of  God,  and  can  throw 
themselves  into  the  arms  of  God,  knowing  that  they  will  be  with 
Him ;  yet  there  are  others  who  cannot  so  think,  and  who  feel 
"all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage"  in  the  thoughts  of  the 
long  last  sleep.  Therefore  it  is  that  we  point  to  this,  and  show 
how  far  Christianity  thus  differs  from  Judaism ;  for  Judaism 
spake  of  the  grave  as  dark,  the  place  where  the  dead  praise  not 
God;  while  the  New  Testament  speaks  distinctly  of  a  state  of 
consciousness,  for  in  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  the  rich 
man  is  represented  as  fully  conscious  in  the  world  beyond  of  the 
condition  of  his  sinful  brethren.  The  Apostle  Paul,  too,  longs  to 
depart  that  he  may  be  with  Christ — another  proof  that  the  grave 
is  not  unconsciousness.  And,  in  addition,  we  have  the  example  of 
the  dying  thief  now  before  us,  to  whom  our  Blessed  Lord  says, 
"  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 

And,  secondly,  we  learn  from  this  the  completeness  of  the  sacri- 
fice of  Christ.  Some  hav^e  so  mistaken  the  meaning  of  their  Mas- 
ter's death  as  to  believe  that,  when  the  soul  has  departed  from  the 
body,  there  is  still  a  penal  fire  to  finish  the  Saviour's  work.  But 
look  at  the  dying  thief  forgiven  by  his  Lord ;  up  to  that  time  he 
had  done  nothing  to  make  himself  meet  for  glory,  after  his  con- 
version he  could  do  nothing;  and  yet,  forgiven  and  redeemed 
upon  the  cross,  he  passed  straight  to  Paradise. 

My  Christian  brethren,  we  set  this  truth  before  you :  "  Ye  are 
complete  in  Christ."  He  reconciled  God  to  man ;  our  work  is 
therefore  to  become  reconciled  to  God.  To  him  that  is  in  Christ 
there  remains  neither  speck  nor  spot  to  be  imputed. 


The  State  of  Nature  and  the  State  of  Grace.      123 


XVIII. 

THE  STATE  OF  NATURE  AND  THE  STATE  OF 
GRACE. 

Brighton,  January  26,  1851. 

"Among  whom  also  we  all  had  our  conversation  in  times  past  in  the  lusts 
of  our  flesh,  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind;  and  were  by 
nature  the  children  of  wrath,  even  as  others.  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mer- 
cy, for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in  sins, 
hath  quickened  us  together  with  Christ.  By  grace  ye  are  saved." — Eph. 
ii.  3-5. 

The  prominent  point  in  these  verses,  manifestly,  is  tlie  contrast 
between  nature  and  grace.  "By  nature,"  says  the  apostle,  "ye 
are  the  children  of  wrath,  by  grace  ye  are  saved."  Every  one  of 
us  knows  that  these  words  are  cardinal  points  in  Christian  theol- 
ogy ;  they  have  been  the  cause  of  bitterest  controversies — contro- 
versies in  which  men  understanding  each  other  have  differed,  con- 
troversies also  in  which  men  really  meaning  the  same  thing  have 
expressed  it  in  different  words.  For  example,  if  one  man  speaks 
of  the  majesty  of  human  nature,  it  may  be  that  another  feels 
shocked  at  such  an  expression ;  and  yet  it  is  more  than  possible 
that  a  man  may  speak  of  the  majesty  of  the  humanity  that  God 
has  given  us,  and  still  be  deeply,  intensely,  convinced  of  the  reality 
of  his  fallen  nature.  Therefore,  in  all  teaching,  more  especially 
in  public  teaching,  in  which  it  is  impossible  to  ask  for  an  expla- 
nation, it  is  important  that  from  time  to  time  terms  should  be 
accurately  defined.  For  want  of  such  definition  there  may  seem 
to  be  confusion  where  none  really  exists.  As  a  proof  of  this  we 
look  to  our  Redeemer's  teaching;  let  us  take  the  memorable  oc- 
casion on  which  He  said,  "  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down 
from  heaven ;  if  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever : 
and  the  bread  which  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for 
the  life  of  the  world.  The  Jews  therefore  strove  among  them- 
selves, saying,  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?" — they 
understood  in  one  sense  what  was  spoken  in  another.     And  thus 


1 24      The  State  of  Nature  a?id  the  State  of  Grace. 

often  it  may  seem  tliat  the  teaching  of  the  minister  of  God  is 
self-contradictory. 

Therefore,  brethren,  what  we  shall  do  to-day  will  be  to  define 
the  meaning  of  two  terms :  the  state  of  nature  and  the  state  of 
grace. 

I.  The  state  of  nature. 

In  the  first  place,  we  observe  that  there  is  a  twofold  sense  in 
which  we  use  the  expression  "  nature."  When  we  speak  of  "  nat- 
ure," we  may  mean  either  what  it  is  by  right  or  what  it  is  by 
fact,  what  it  is  meant  to  be  or  what  it  is.  Let  us  take  as  an 
illustration  of  this  the  fig-tree  whereof  our  Redeemer  spoke ;  in 
one  sense  it  was  its  nature  to  bring  forth  fruit,  but  in  another 
sense  it  was  the  nature  of  that  tree  to  bring  forth  no  fruit.  Be- 
cause it  was  the  nature  of  the  fig-tree  to  bring  forth  fruit,  there- 
fore was  the  demand  made — a  demand  which,  if  such  had  not  been 
its  nature,  would  have  been  most  unjust.  Take  as  another  in- 
stance the  case  of  the  soil  which  God  has  made :  the  nature  of 
the  soil  is  to  bring  forth  weeds ;  they  spring  up  naturally,  and 
yet  no  one  would  say  that  it  was  created  for  that  purpose — the 
weeds  are  rather  its  perversion.  Precisely  in  the  same  way,  the 
evil  tendencies  in  the  soul  of  man  are  there,  yet  they  are  not  the 
nature  of  the  soul. 

It  is  on  this  principle  that  we  find  passages  in  Scripture  re- 
specting nature  which  seem  to  contradict  each  other.  There  is 
one  class  of  passages  in  which  the  right  is  called  natural,  and  the 
unnatural  is  reckoned  wrong.  To  live  according  to  nature  is  to 
live  according  to  the  will  of  God ;  for  example,  in  the  First  Epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians,  respecting  a  matter  of  mere  propriety  in 
dress,  the  apostle  refers  himself  to  first  principles — "Doth  not  even 
nature  itself  teach  you  that  if  a  man  have  long  hair  it  is  a  shame 
unto  him  ?"  Again,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  that  which  is 
against  nature  is  spoken  of  as  the  worst  of  crimes.  Nor  is  there 
any  way  in  which  we  ourselves  can  speak  with  more  reprobation 
of  a  human  being  than  to  say,  for  instance,  that  he  is  an  "  unnat- 
ural" son  or  an  "unnatural"  father.  Similarly,  in  the  Second 
Epistle  to  Timothy,  St.  Paul  speaks  of  it  as  one  of  the  worst  sins 
of  the  last  times  that  men  should  be  "  without  natural  affection ;" 
and  when  we  refer  to  the  teaching  of  our  Redeemer  Himself,  we 
read,  "  Why  do  ye  not  of  yourselves  judge  that  which  is  right  ?" 


The  State  of  Nature  and  the  State  of  Grace.      125 

So  that,  according  to  Christ's  idea  of  human  nature,  to  judge 
wrongly  was  not  natural.  Now,  turning  to  another  class  of  Script- 
ure passages,  we  find  human  nature  spoken  of  in  a  different  way : 
that  which  is  natural  is  called  evil,  and  to  live  according  to  it  is 
to  tend  to  certain  ruin.  Accordingly,  the  Apostle  Paul  says, 
"The  natural  man  discerneth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of 
God ;"  and  here,  again,  in  the  verses  I  have  selected  for  the  text, 
"  By  nature  "  we  are  the  children  of  wrath.  The  great  question, 
therefore,  is  this :  in  what  sense  do  we  use  the  term  "  human  nat- 
ure ?"  If  by  human  nature  you  mean  nature  as  seen  in  this  man 
or  in  that,  then  unquestionably  nature  is  evil — individual  nature, 
personal  nature,  is  contrary  to  God's  will ;  but  if  by  human  nat- 
ure you  mean  nature  as  God  made  it,  as  it  has  been  once,  in  one 
man  of  our  species  and  only  one,  and  as  by  God's  grace  it  shall 
be  again ;  if  you  mean  nature  as  it  is  according  to  the  idea  of  the 
Creator  as  shown  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  it  is  in  the  eyes  of  God  im- 
puted, not  as  it  is,  but  as  it  shall  be,  then  that  nature  is  a  noble 
thing,  a  thing  divine :  for  the  life  of  the  Redeemer  Himself,  what 
was  it  but  the  one  true  exhibition  of  our  human  nature  ? 

Having  premised  so  far,  we  now  remark  the  two  things  that 
Paul  says  respecting  this  human  nature.  He  says  that  by  nature 
we  fulfil  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind.  I  pray  you 
to  observe  that  it  is  in  the  second,  and  not  in  the  first,  sense  that 
he  here  speaks  of  nature.  The  "  desires  of  the  flesh  "  mean  the 
appetites;  those  "of  the  mind"  mean  the  passions:  to  fulfil  the 
desires  of  the  flesh  is  to  live  the  life  of  the  swine ;  to  fulfil  those 
of  the  mind  is  to  live  the  life  of  the  devil.  Imaginations  given 
to  ennoble  the  spirit  degraded  to  the  sensualizing  of  the  spirit 
till  they  become  the  agents  of  the  lowest  vices,  that  is  to  fulfil  the 
desires  of  the  mind.  But  let  it  be  observed  that  this  is  the  par- 
tiality, not  the  entireness,  of  human  nature.  AVhere  is  the  con- 
science, where  the  spirit,  by  which  we  have  communion  with  God? 
To  live  to  the  flesh  and  to  the  mind  is  not  to  live  to  the  nature 
that  God  gave  us :  we  can  no  more  call  that  living  to  our  nature 
than  we  can  say  that  a  watch  going  by  the  mere  force  of  the  main- 
spring, without  a  regulator,  is  fulfilling  the  nature  of  a  watch.  To 
fulfil  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind  is  no  more  to  fulfil 
the  nature  which  God  has  given  us  than  the  soil  fulfils  its  nature 
when  it  brings  forth  thorns  and  briers.  This  distinction  is  strong- 
ly drawn  by  the  apostle  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.     He  there 


126      The  State  of  Nature  and  the  State  of  Grace. 

speaks  of  himself  in  his  unregenerate  state,  and  reckons  that  it  is 
not  his  nature ;  he  draws  a  distinction  between  himself  and  his 
false  nature,  and  says  it  is  "  not  I  that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth 
in  me ;"  sin  is  the  dominion  of  a  false  nature,  it  is  a  usurped  do- 
minion. The  second  thing  that  Paul  tells  us  in  connection  with 
this  subject  is  that  by  nature  we  are  children  of  wrath.  Some 
commentators  have  tried  to  explain  that  expression  away,  and 
have  said  that  when  he  uses  the  words  "  children  of  wrath,"  he 
means  men  prone  to  anger.  We  cannot  adopt  this  view ;  we  take 
the  popular  idea,  which  in  this  case  I  believe  to  be  the  true  one ; 
it  is  the  wrath  of  God  which  is  here  spoken  of.  And  a  great 
truth  is  thus  laid  down ;  that  in  the  state  of  nature  we  are  in  the 
way  to  bear  the  wrath  of  God.  Doubtless  the  expression  used 
is  a  popular  one,  God  is  spoken  of  as  He  is  felt  by  us,  not  as  He 
is  in  Himself.  Just  as  when  we  see  the  sun  gleaming  through 
the  mists  of  evening  it  seems  to  us  a  red  mass,  and  we  say  "  the 
sun  is  red,"  so  God,  seen  through  the  mists  of  our  prejudices  and 
passions,  appears  to  be  a  God  of  wrath.  And  yet,  brethren,  God 
is  not  wrath.  He  is  infinite  love ;  the  eternal  serenity  of  His  nat- 
ure does  not  feel  our  passions.  He  remains  forever  cahn,  yet  such 
is  our  nature  that  we  must  think  of  Him  as  wrath  as  well  as  love, 
to  us  love  itself  becomes  wrath  when  we  are  in  a  state  of  sin. 
To  say  that  the  sun  is  red  may  not  be  philosophically  true,  but  it 
is  red  to  us ;  to  say  that  God  is  wrath  may  not  be  metaphysical- 
ly true,  but  for  all  practical  purposes  it  is  so. 

Here  is  an  eternal  truth  with  which  we  would  not  part :  God 
must  hate  sin  and  be  forever  sin's  enemy.  Because  He  is  the 
Lord  of  love,  therefore  must  He  be  a  consuming  fire  to  evil ;  God 
is  against  evil,  but  for  us.  If,  then,  we  sin,  He  must  be  against  us ; 
in  sinning  we  identify  ourselves  with  evil,  therefore  we  must  en- 
dure the  consuming  fire.  Oh  !  brethren,  in  this  soft  age  in  which 
we  live,  it  is  good  to  fall  back  on  the  first  principles  of  everlasting 
truth.  We  have  come  to  think  that  education  may  be  maintained 
by  mere  laws  of  love  instead  of  discipline,  and  that  public  punish- 
ment may  be  abolished.  We  say  that  these  things  are  contrary 
to  the  Gospel ;  and  here,  doubtless,  there  is  an  underlying  truth ; 
it  is  true  that  there  may  be  a  severity  in  education  which  defeats 
itself,  it  is  true  that  love  and  tenderness  may  do  more  than  se- 
verity ;  but  yet  under  a  system  of  mere  love  and  tenderness  no 
character  can  acquire  manliness  or  firmness.     When  you  have 


The  State  of  Nature  and  the  State  of  Grace.      127 

once  got  rid  of  the  idea  of  public  punishment,  then,  by  degrees, 
you  will  also  get  rid  of  the  idea  of  sin:  where  is  it  written  in  the 
Word  of  God  that  the  sword  of  His  minister  is  to  be  borne  in 
vain  ?  In  this  world  of  groaning  and  of  anguish,  tell  us  where  it 
is  that  the  law  which  links  suffering  to  sin  has  ceased  to  act? 
Nay,  so  long  as  there  is  evil,  so  long  will  there  be  penalty ;  and 
woe  to  that  man  who  attempts  to  contradict  the  eternal  system 
of  God ;  so  long  as  the  spirit  of  evil  is  in  the  world,  so  long  must 
human  punishment  remain  to  bear  its  testimony  that  the  God  of 
the  universe  is  a  righteous  God.  This  is  what  we  have  to  feel : 
sin,  live  according  to  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  you  will  become 
the  children  of  God's  wrath ;  live  after  the  Spirit,  the  higher  nat- 
ure that  is  in  you,  and  then  the  law  hath  hold  on  you  no  longer. 
Pass  we  on  now  to  our  second  subject : 

II.  The  state  of  grace.     "  By  grace  ye  are  saved." 
As  in  the  former  case  we  had  one  word  to  explain,  so  now  we 
have  two  ;  the  first  is  "  saved,"  the  second  "  grace." 

And,  first,  we  observe  that  salvation  according  to  the  apostle 
originates  in  the  love  of  God — "God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy."  It 
is  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us ;  not  that  we  mer- 
ited the  love  of  God — for  when  we  were  yet  in  sin  He  loved  us ; 
not  that  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  has  bought  off  the  wrath  of  God, 
but  that  it  was  His  love  that  designed  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  as 
it  is  written,  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son,  to  the  end  that  all  that  believe  in  Him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  This,  then,  is  the  first  principle 
from  which  we  start,  salvation  originates  in  the  love  of  God ;  and 
if  we  ask  the  reason,  there  is  but  one — the  love  itself,  "  For  His 
great  love  wherewith  He  loved  us."  The  second  thing  Paul  tells 
us  respecting  salvation  is  that  it  consists  in  emancipation  from 
evil.  "  Quickened  us  together  with  Christ " — that  is,  gave  life. 
Remark,  the  apostle  says  not  "saved  from  suffering,"  he  says 
"quickened."  Salvation  and  the  love  and  mercy  of  God  seem 
to  us  often  no  more  than  rescue  from  personal  suffering.  Such 
a  notion  entered  not  into  the  apostle's  mind ;  according  to  him, 
the  love  and  mercy  of  God  were  shown  in  this,  not  that  He  saved 
from  penalty,  but  from  sin.  If  love  be  merely  the  prevention  of 
pain,  how  is  this  world  governed  by  the  love  of  God  ?  It  may 
be  that  it  is  God's  intention  hereafter  to  produce  a  state  of  pain- 


128       The  State  of  Nature  and  the  State  of  Grace. 

lessness :  we  know  not,  but  this  we  know — tliat  God's  best  and 
dearest  servants  have  had  the  cup  of  suffering  placed  in  their 
hands  and  been  made  to  drain  it  deep.  His  beloved  Son's  reward 
was  the  cross ;  "  the  captain  of  our  salvation  was  made  perfect 
through  suffering."  .  .  .  And  that,  0  my  Christian  brethren,  is 
what  we  want — life,  more  life,  spiritual  life,  within  us ;  to  know 
in  all  things  the  truth  of  God  and  to  speak  it,  to  feel  in  all  things 
the  will  of  God  and  do  it ;  and  to  give  us  that,  to  impart  that 
Spirit  to  us,  is  the  mercy  and  the  love  of  God. 

The  next  word  to  explain  is  "  grace."  It  stands  opposed  to  two 
things — to  "nature"  and  to  "law:"  to  nature  in  the  text,  and  to 
law  in  this,  "  we  are  not  under  law,  but  under  grace."  Whenever 
"  nature  "  means  the  dominion  of  our  lower  appetites,  that  state 
in  which  we  feel  left  to  ourselves,  then  nature  stands  opposed  to 
grace.  In  the  second  place,  grace  stands  opposed  to  law.  Now, 
let  us  remember  what  Paul  says  respecting  law :  its  language  is, 
"  thou  shalt  and  must ;"  right  words  and  glorious,  but  words  inca- 
pable of  arresting  sin ;  and,  according  to  Paul,  what  the  law  does 
is  to  exasperate  sin  into  greater  vitality :  "  I  had  not  known  sin 
but  by  the  law."  All  that  the  law  can  do  is  to  manifest  sin,  just 
as  the  dam  thrown  against  the  river  shows  its  strength  ;  law  can 
arrest  sometimes  the  commission  of  sin,  but  never  the  inward 
principle.  Therefore  God  has  provided  another  remedy — "Sin 
shall  not  have  dominion  over  you."  Is  it  because  ye  are  hemmed 
round  with  greater  penalties  ?  Nay,  but  because  "  ye  are  not 
under  law,  but  under  graced 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  the  application  we  make  of  this  is  con- 
tained in  one  remark — Paul  states  salvation  here  as  a  fact :  "  By 
grace  ye  are  saved."  These  Ephesians  were,  many  of  them,  most 
imperfect  Christians ;  of  none  of  them  could  the  apostle  be  sure 
that  they  would  reach  the  kingdom  of  God ;  and  yet  there  is  no 
word  hinting  the  possibility  of  their  non-election,  but,  broadly,  of 
all  he  says,  "  Ye  are  saved."  Now,  there  are  two  systems.  The  one 
begins  with  nature,  the  other  with  grace ;  the  one  treats  all  Chris- 
tians as  if  they  were  the  children  of  the  devil,  and  tells  them  that 
they  may  perhaps  become  the  children  of  God  ;  the  other  declares 
that  the  incarnation  of  Christ  is  a  fact,  a  universal  fact,  proclaim- 
ing that  all  the  world  are  called  to  be  the  children  of  the  Most 
High.  I  need  not  say  that  the  system  I  have  last  described  is 
that  of  the  Baptismal  Service  of  the  Church  of  England,  that 


The  State  of  Nature  and  the  State  of  Grace .      1 29 

precious  service  which  wc  hold  so  dear,  and  through  which  we 
are  taught  to  say,  "  I  was  made  by  baptism  (that  is,  not  mag- 
ically created,  but  declared  by  the  voice  of  God  to  be)  the  child 
of  God,  a  member  of  Christ,  and  an  heir  of  everlasting  salva- 
tion." 

It  is  thus  that  the  Church  of  England  speaks,  but  it  is  of  more 
importance  to  observe  that  thus  also  the  Bible  speaks.  The  apos- 
tle here  speaks  of  the  baptized  Ephesians,  not  hypothetically,  but 
actually,  as  God's  redeemed  children.  It  makes  an  immense  dif- 
ference in  education  and  in  later  life  which  of  these  views  you 
may  adopt.  In  the  one  case — if  the  first  be  true — we  work  with 
a  faithless  heart:  that  child  of  mine  may  be  the  child  of  God,  or 
he  may  not ;  he  may  be  elected,  or  he  may  not.  I  tell  him  to  call 
God  his  Father,  when  perhaps  He  is  not  so.  We  thus  go  working 
on  as  if  we  had  to  work  against  nature,  instead  of  with  God ;  as  if 
our  work  were  merely  to  eradicate  something  from  the  soil,  instead 
of  seeking  to  bring  forth  fruit.  Brethren,  from  such  a  system  as 
this,  what  can  come  ?  Let  us  rather  believe  in  c:race,  instead  of 
beginning  with  nature ;  let  us  believe  that  we  are  God's  children, 
that  God  is  our  Father,  and  that  Christ  has  redeemed  the  world  ; 
and  then  let  us  seek  His  grace  to  keep  us  steadfast  in  our  faith, 
that  ^YQ.  lose  not  these  inestimable  privileges.  Let  us  remember 
that  it  is  said,  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation  wdth  fear  and  trem- 
bling," not  because  we  dread  damnation,  but  because  "  it  is  God 
that  worketh  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure." 

6* 


130  Tlic  CImrch  of  EpJicsus. 


XIX. 
THE  CHURCH  OF  EPHESUS. 

Brighton,  February  23,  1851. 

"Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesns  write:  These  things  saith  he 
that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in  his  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of 
the  seven  golden  candlesticks ;  I  know  thy  works,  and  thy  lahor,  and  thy 
patience,  and  how  thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are  evil ;  and  thou  hast 
tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles,  and  are  not ;  and  hast  found  them 
liars:  and  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  my  name's  sake  hast  la- 
bored, and  hast  not  fainted.  Nevertheless,  I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  be- 
cause thou  hast  left  thy  first  love." — liev.  ii.  1-4. 

In  the  Bible  high  value  is  placed  on  the  religious  affections ;  in 
the  world  and  in  ordinary  life  almost  none.  In  matters  ecclesias- 
tical and  political  we  are  satisfied  with  results ;  we  care  little  for 
the  principle,  spirit,  or  feeling  which  has  led  to  it.  And  even 
among  religious  people  a  very  inadequate  view  is  entertained  of 
these  aspirations,  as  is  evident  from  the  tone  in  which  declension 
in  religious  feeling  is  spoken  of.  We  hear  it  said  that  it  is  a 
matter  of  regret  that  these  feelings  will  not  last ;  but  that  it  is 
inevitable,  the  thing  is  unavoidable,  and,  therefore,  not  to  be 
greatly  lamented.  Sometimes  a  tone  more  philosophical  is  adopt- 
ed :  they  tell  us  that  the  flower  must  pass  away,  in  order  that  the 
fruit  may  come.  Emotion  and  religious  feeling,  they  say,  are  in- 
tended merely  to  bridge  over  the  distance  between  duty  and  per- 
formance, and  to  make  that  easy  which  would  have  been  difficult 
at  first ;  so  that  when  the  flower  has  passed,  we  have  the  fruit ;  and 
when  the  feeling  is  gone,  we  have  got  the  habit  of  duty,  and  the 
feeling  may  then  be  dispensed  with. 

Brethren,  a  sentiment  like  this  stands  in  diametrical  opposition 
to  the  language  of  the  Bible.  Beneath  it,  however,  there  lies  a 
truth ;  for,  by  degrees,  as  love  becomes  more  deep  it  will  become 
less  emotional ;  but  to  say  that  in  proportion  as  wisdom  and  faith 
increase,  in  that  proportion  will  love  and  tenderness  abate,  is  to 
proclaim  ruin  to  the  Christian  character.     In  the  first  place,  we 


The  Church  of  EpJicsus.  131 

find  it  written  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians:  "This  I  pray, 
that  your  love  may  abound  more  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judg- 
ment." Simultaneous  with  the  growth  in  knowledge  was  to  be 
the  growth  of  the  affections.  Again,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians :  "  We  are  bound  to  thank  God,  as  it  is  meet,  because 
that  your  faith  groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  charity  of  every  one 
of  you  all  toward  each  other  aboundeth."  And  in  the  Second  of 
Peter  w'e  find  these  religious  affections  made  the  ground  of  Chris- 
tian grace  :  "  Add  to  your  faith  virtue  ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge  ; 
and  to  knowledge,  temperance ;  and  to  temperance,  patience  ;  and 
to  patience,  godliness ;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness ;  and  to 
brotherly  kindness,  charity."  Where  we  remark  at  first  the  mere 
externals  of  religion ;  then,  by  degrees,  the  growth  of  particular  and 
active  habits ;  then  the  emotions;  and,  finally,  the  grand  consum- 
mation of  all.  Christian  charity.  If  it  were  not  true  that  religious 
emotion  was  dear  to  God,  how  should  we  be  able  to  explain  that 
rebuke  of  the  ascended  Saviour  to  His  Church  of  Laodicea,  that 
it  was  "lukewarm,  neither  hot  nor  cold?" 

And  in  the  text  you  wdll  observe  that  the  Church  of  Ephesus 
had  many  marks  Avhich  outwardly  establish  the  claim  to  be  a 
Church  of  God.  She  had  orthodoxy,  for  she  had  tried  those  that 
said  they  were  apostles,  and,  having  found  them  liars,  had  put 
them  from  her ;  she  had  the  spirit  of  martyrdom ;  she  had  activ- 
ity and  zeal,  and  much  of  outward  earnestness.  Her  patience  and 
labor  are  acknowledged;  yet  there  w\as  one  thing  wanting:  her 
emotions  towards  God  had  lost  their  strength  and  vividness,  and 
therefore  her  Lord  declared  that  He  would  not  have  the  outward 
husk  without  the  inward  kernel.  From  which  it  is  manifest  that 
the  flower  is  not  merely  valuable  from  being  the  precursor  of  the 
fruit ;  it  has  an  inherent  worth  in  itself.  And  thus  love  has  an  in- 
ward grace  and  beauty,  preciousness  and  value,  in  itself ;  the  act 
is  dear  to  God  simply  because  of  the  affection  that  has  prompted 
it.  This,  then,  being  the  value  of  religious  emotions,  and  this  the 
danger  of  their  decline,  the  passage  which  I  have  chosen  for  the 
text  marks  out  for  us  these  two  branches  into  which  our  thought 
may  flow. 

I.  The  origin  and  marks  of  declension  in  reliirious  feclinir- 
and, 

H.  The  apostolic  remedy. 


132  The  CJmrcJi  of  Ephesiis, 

I.  We  must  begin  by  understanding  what  is  meant  by  tliis 
*'  first  love  to  God."  When  we  speak  of  love  to  God,  we  mean 
not  an  emotion  different  from  what  we  call  love  to  man ;  affection 
towards  God  is  precisely  the  same  feeling  as  affection  towards 
man,  but  it  is  purified,  exalted,  concentrated.  We  are  here  for  the 
very  purpose  of  learning  how  to  love  God ;  without  this  we  could 
not  see  the  meaning  of  the  manifold  affection  given  us  in  this 
world.  The  love  of  parents  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  va- 
ries almost  to  infinity.  Those  on  whom  our  affections  have  been 
lavished  pass  away  ;  they  die,  but  behind  them  is  left  the  unburied 
power  of  love ;  and  we  find  at  last  that  we  have  been  here  in 
training  for  the  love  that  knows  neither  age  nor  sex  nor  individ- 
uality. Our  powers  of  loving  are  all  concentrated  and  thrown  on 
One ;  this  infinite  power  of  the  educated  soul  we  call  the  love  of 
God.  Therefore  this  love  to  God  is  marked  by  universality.  God 
is  truth,  and  the  soul  that  loves  God  loves  all  that  is  true.  God 
is  goodness  and  purity,  and  in  love  to  God  we  rest  on  all  that  is 
lovely,  pure,  and  good  as  images  of  the  infinite  splendor  of  this 
love.  God  is  the  life  of  all  that  is ;  and  when  we  love  God,  that 
love  is  felt  in  the  delight  that  the  Christian  spirit  takes  in  the 
blessedness  and  happiness  of  all  that  is ;  that  feeling  which  makes 
the  Christian  merciful  to  his  beast,  and  which  forbids  him  to  find 
his  joy  in  the  pain  of  the  meanest  thing  that  lives ;  love  to  uni- 
versal being,  love  to  the  great  All,  that  is  love  to  God.  Now, 
there  are  moments  in  our  existence  when  this  feeling  dawns  with 
a  fresh  power  on  the  soul.  "  Our  mortal  nature  doth  tremble  like 
a  guilty  thing  surprised."  It  is  a  lovely  thing  to  see  the  love  of 
the  young  Christian,  the  startling  warmth  in  the  bosom  of  one 
whose  heart  is  throbbing  with  first  fresh  love  to  God;  there  has 
come  down  upon  his  soul  a  flood  of  light  so  fresh,  so  pure,  so 
new,  that  in  the  radiance  of  that  light  all  seems  fresh — the  very 
world  seems  to  be  created  over  again ;  so  that  in  him  is  fulfilled 
that  which  shall  be  hereafter ;  in  the  renewed  love  of  that  soul  is 
produced  a  "  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  right- 
eousness." And  a  man  in  such  a  state  feels  as  the  apostle  did  on 
the  transfiguration  mount — it  seems  as  if  it  were  almost  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  descend  from  his  high  ground ;  we  are  ready  to 
exclaim,  "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here ;  let  us  make  for  ourselves 
resting-places."  In  that  feeling  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  a  shade 
of  selfishness;  let  theologians  say  what  they  will,  in  that  first  love 


The  Church  of  Ephcsus.  133 

to  God  there  is  no  selfishness.  Immortality,  heaven  itself,  all  that 
belongs  to  personal  enjoyment,  is  lost  in  one  burning  desire  to  ed- 
ucate the  soul  and  live  afresh  to  God ;  to  go,  like  Elijah,  on  the 
strength  of  sacred  feast  and  staff,  through  the  wilderness,  asking 
only  for  God.  We  feel  that  God  is  our  portion,  our  everlasting 
and  all-sufficient  portion,  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come. 
That  is  first  love  to  God. 

And  this  is  the  feeling,  it  may  be,  that  the  Ephesian  Christians 
enjoyed  to  an  extent  Avhich  it  is  almost  impossible  for  us  to  real- 
ize now ;  for  in  that  day  the  iron  hand  of  Rome  was  compressing 
the  whole  human  race  into  one  military  empire;  all  domestic  feel- 
ings were  giving  way,  and  even  patriotism  could  scarcely  subsist, 
for  how  is  supreme  love  to  be  shown  for  a  man's  own  country 
when  none  other  exists  to  divide  his  affections  ?  Then  there  burst 
upon  the  world  a  fresh  feeling,  a  new  love ;  and  words  such  as 
these  were  heard,  "  He  is  our  peace  who  hath  made  both,  that  is, 
Jew  and  Gentile,  one."  To  us  it  is  a  thrice-told  tale ;  but  con- 
ceive it  as  a  new  truth — one  God,  one  Father,  one  Mediator,  one 
family,  giving  room  for  the  heart's  best  affections — and  then  you 
may  conceive  the  intensity  of  the  first  love  of  the  Ephesian 
Church. 

We  wdll  now  consider  the  origin  and  progress  of  this  declen- 
sion. 

1.  The  first  cause  and  mark  of  it  is  the  spirit  of  the  world. 
Ephesus  was  at  that  time  the  metropolitan  city  of  Proconsular 
Asia ;  it  grew  and  flourished  long  after  the  cities  that  had  sur- 
rounded it  had  decayed;  it  is  known  to  us  now  as  having  con- 
tained one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world — the  temple  of  the 
great  goddess  Diana.  And  there  all  that  was  refined  in  Asia  and 
in  Europe  met.  To  this  brilliant  and  dazzling  influence  was  it 
that  the  young  converts  were  exposed;  and  that  which  persecu- 
tion could  not  do,  refinement  and  ease  soon  effected ;  the  iron  of 
the  Christian  spirit  was  softened,  the  soul  w^as  robbed  of  its  man- 
lier part ;  they  could  no  longer  love  their  God  with  the  strength 
they  had  formerly  devoted  to  His  service. 

In  that  which  we  call  the  world  we  will  now  confine  ourselves 
to  one  branch,  of  which  Ephesus  w^as  an  example,  the  love  of 
worldly  society  and  enjoyment.  And,  first,  let  us  listen  to  what 
the  Bible  says  on  this  subject,  "  He  that  liveth  in  pleasure  is  dead 
while  he  liveth,"  "  Lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God," 


134  TJie  Church  of  Ephesus. 

*'  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him." 
The  explanation  of  this  is  plain :  in  the  life  of  pleasure  we  lead 
the  life  of  excitement,  and  thus  it  soon  follows  that  emotions  will 
not  rise  at  the  call  and  bidding  of  excitement ;  the  history  being 
inevitably  this :  first  sensibility  of  feeling,  then  excitement,  then 
callousness,  then  apathy,  and  lastly  hardness. 

In  the  parable  that  we  read  to-day  we  are  told  that  the  seed 
which  sprang  up  rapidly  was  sown  on  rocky  ground ;  deep,  pro- 
found is  the  knowledge  of  human  nature  expressed  there ;  the  su- 
perficial heart  is  the  stony  heart ;  where  there  is  easily  roused  ca- 
pacity for  excitement  there  is  often  little  real  depth  ;  frivolize  the 
heart  by  pleasure,  and  thus  you  make  it  cold  and  hard  towards 
God.  There  is  nothing  more  remarkable  in  early  religion  than 
the  scrupulous  avoidance  with  which  the  young  convert  shrinks 
from  the  world.  It  is,  however,  often  carried  to  extremes ;  then 
comes  the  reaction ;  and  the  recoil  is  strong  just  in  proportion  to 
the  strength  and  exclusiveness  with  which  the  world  has  been 
avoided.  And  a  history  such  as  this  has  doubtless  been  the  lot 
of  more  than  one  here  present,  either  of  himself,  or  of  those  whom 
he  has  loved.  At  first  there  was  warmth  of  religious  zeal ;  and 
then  by  degrees  have  appeared  the  symptoms  of  decline — frivolity, 
lightness  of  tone  or  dress  or  demeanor ;  little  by  little  loss  of  zeal, 
and  then  a  deadening  of  religious  sensibility.  It  is  a  change 
which  is  at  first  imperceptible  except  to  the  eye  of  earnest,  zeal- 
ous friendship  ;  for  such  a  man  is  by  no  means  less  orthodox  than 
before,  no  less  regular  in  his  outward  duties,  perhaps  much  more 
so,  till  by  degrees  the  film  and  the  veil  become  so  thin  that  they 
can  be  worn  no  longer.  The  man  ceases  to  profess — why  should 
he  encourage  the  spirit  and  habit  of  hypocrisy  ? — and  then  comes 
a  cold,  deadly,  creeping  despondency ;  and  then  the  void  of  that 
soul  is  filled  up  with  the  extremes  of  sin,  it  may  be  with  the  ex- 
tremes of  crime. 

2.  The  second  cause  we  assign  for  religious  declension  is  the 
neglect  of  devotional  habits.  Sometimes  the  history  is  what  I 
have  already  stated,  that  religious  acts  survive  religious  feeling; 
in  other  cases  it  is  the  reverse — the  decay  of  religious  habits  pre- 
cedes the  loss  of  religious  feeling.  In  some  unguarded  moment 
the  Christian  man  gives  up  his  devotional  habit ;  and  then,  once  the 
habit  is  broken  in  upon,  it  is  not  renewed,  and  the  result  is  a  loss 
of  zeal  and  a  loss  of  love.     Let  us  understand  what  is  meant  by 


The  Church  of  EpJicsus.  135 

this  expression,  devotional  habits.  Let  us  not  narrow  it  in  to 
mean  one  thing  only.  By  devotional  habits  we  do  not  mean  that 
a  man  must  have  the  habit  of  attending  dail^^  prayers  or  the  like ; 
devotional  habits  depend  upon  all  the  varieties  of  age,  sex,  and 
temperament.  To  one  man  the  devotional  habit  of  every  day  is 
to  consider  a  chapter  in  the  Bible ;  to  another  man,  according  to 
the  necessities  of  his  temperament,  it  may  be  the  attendance  on 
public  daily  prayer ;  to  another  it  may  be  wandering  by  the  sea- 
shore, calming  there  his  agitated  spirit,  and  throwing  open  his 
mind  to  all  the  influences  which  God  has  shed  so  abundantly  on 
the  world.  Sometimes  it  is  a  habit  like  that  of  Isaac,  the  wander- 
ing alone  and  meditating  in  the  field  at  eventide ;  sometimes  it  is 
the  voiceless  lifting  of  the  solitary  soul  to  God  in  the  chamber,  in 
the  crowd,  and  in  society ;  but  unless  that  habit,  whatever  it  be, 
is  kept  up  in  some  way  or  other,  the  life  will  inevitably  decay. 

And  this  seems  to  be  the  peculiar  danger  of  this  age.  A  few 
centuries  ago  the  danger  was  a  different  one ;  it  might  be  that  in 
the  hermitage  the  solitary,  leading  a  life  of  contemplation,  forgot 
that  of  action.  Our  danger  is  the  opposite  one :  it  is  to  substi- 
tute religious  benevolence  and  the  excitement  of  the  public  meet- 
ing and  of  the  sermon  for  that  for  which  they  never  can  be  sub- 
stituted— the  secret  prayer,  and  the  broken  spirit,  and  the  laying 
the  soul  before  its  Maker,  imploring  Him  to  search  it  thoroughly, 
"  to  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  it." 

3.  The  last  cause  we  assign  for  religious  decline  is  the  indul- 
gence of  the  intellectual  spirit.  Ephesus  was  the  seat  of  that 
form  of  corrupted  Christianity  which  we  find  so  often  alluded  to 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  as  "  science  falsely  so  called,"  "  vain 
philosophy,"  etc.  Here  let  us  make  a  distinction  :  confuse  not 
the  philosophy  of  those  days  with  that  of  the  present  day ;  they 
are  alike  in  name  alone.  The  science  of  these  days  is  a  reverent 
investigation  of  the  laws  of  God,  and  it  is  marvellous  how  men 
can  fail  to  gain  from  it  something  of  the  love  of  God ;  but  the 
philosophy  of  those  days  was  simply  the  craving  of  the  intellect 
for  amusement  and  enjoyment  in  the  things  of  God.  And  let  it 
be  remembered  that  religion's  self  may  become  a  mere  matter  in- 
tellectual, and  men  may  examine  the  evidences  respecting  the  be- 
ing of  a  God,  or  the  proofs  of  immortality,  with  the  same  apathy 
and  coldness  with  which  we  consider  the  evidences  of  the  exist- 
ence of  some  volcanic  crater  or  of  some  distant  nebula.     But  let 


136  The  CJmrch  of  Ephcsiis. 

us  beware ;  I  say  not  that  an  intellectual  religion  is  therefore  no 
religion,  for  the  intellectual  man  must  have  an  intellectual  re- 
ligion, since  he  will  give  his  energies  to  that  which  he  most  loves ; 
but  remember,  I  pray  you,  that  intellect  is  one  thing,  heart  is  an- 
other. Religion  is  a  thing  of  the  heart,  and  not  of  the  intellect ; 
as  the  Bible  so  strongly  tells  us,  "  the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not 
God."  Religion  is  the  banquet  of  the  spirit,  not  the  feast  of  the 
mind ;  and  therefore  the  danger  is  ever  present  wdien  men  begin 
to  listen  to  the  sermon  as  a  manifestation  of  intellectual  force, 
and  not  for  its  spiritual  power. 

II.  We  pass  on  to  consider  the  remedy  suggested  by  the  apos- 
tle ;  it  was  this,  "  Remember  from  whence  thou  art  fallen,  and 
repent,  and  do  the  first  works." 

In  this  we  observe  that  the  centre  of  it  all  is  "  repent."  But 
that  is  precisely  what  man  cannot  do ;  it  is  alone  the  gift  of  the 
grace  of  God.  The  soul  is  poAverless  when  it  acts  upon  itself ;  the 
heart  cannot  produce  one  emotion  simply  by  volition ;  therefore 
the  apostle  wisely  gives  us  the  means  by  which  repentance  may 
be  produced :  the  first  is,  "  Remember  from  whence  thou  art 
fallen  ;"  the  next  is,  "  Do  the  first  works." 

You  may  go  back  in  thought  to  the  moments  in  which  you 
were  more  loving,  more  holy ;  you  may  compare  the  sums  you 
then  spent  on  charity  with  those  you  now  lavish  on  some  selfish 
enjoyment;  you  may  compare  also  the  different  way  in  wdiicli 
you  spend  your  time  now  with  what  you  did  then ;  you  cannot 
force  the  feeling,  but  by  degrees,  in  such  a  way  as  this,  the  feeling 
will  come — first  remorse,  and  then  bitterness;  and  then,  gradu- 
ally, it  will  perhaps  pass  into  something  gentler  and  more  holy, 
till  at  last  to  "  remember  from  whence  thou  art  fallen  "  will  be 
almost  equivalent  to  this :  "  Repent." 

The  other  remedy  is  to  "  do  the  first  works."  The  wisdom  of 
this  advice  is  profound.  It  is  not  such  as  would  have  been  given 
by  us.  We  should,  perhaps,  have  said,  Think  on  the  sufferings  of 
Christ ;  or.  Think  on  the  reality  of  your  adoption,  remember  that 
you  are  the  child  of  God.  The  apostle  knew  far  better ;  he  knew 
that  to  refer  a  man  in  sin  to  the  fact  of  his  adoption  is  to  tell 
him  to  look  at  what  is  to  him  invisible ;  therefore  he  says,  "  Do 
the  first  works;"  for  just  as  feeling  will  bring  about  action,  so, 
when  feeling  is  become  cold,  acting,  by  God's  blessing,  will  bring 


Wisdom  Justified  of  her  Childreft.  137 

back  tlie  feeling.  It  is  not  by  meddling  with  the  emotions  or  by 
considering  our  adoption,  but  by  acting  in  earnest  under  the  grace 
of  God,  that  we  get  back  the  warm  feeling  we  had  lost,  and  return 
to  the  duties  we  had  left,  with  such  words  as  these,  "  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  Thee,  and  am  no  more 
w^orthy  to  be  called  Thy  son." 

Brother  men,  if  there  be  any  among  us  now  who  has  "  left  his 
first  love,"  know  you  what  that  is  which  is  dragging  down  your 
soul  ?  Be  honest  in  your  Father's  sight.  Be  it  business  or  pleas- 
ure or  intolerance,  be  it  what  it  may,  that  stands  between  your  soul 
and  Christ,  there  shall  neither  be  peace  to  your  spirit  nor  joy  of 
love  within  your  heart  till  you  sternly  tear  it  out. 


XX. 

WISDOM  JUSTIFIED  OF  HER  CHILDPvEN. 

(1.) 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton,  March  9,  1851. 
"But  wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children." — Matt.  xi.  19. 

"  Justified  "  means  acquitted,  recognized,  or  acknowledged. 
"  Of  "  means  "  by."  And  Christ  says,  "  Wisdom  is  recognized  by 
her  children." 

The  wisdom  of  a  Divine  life  had  appeared  in  two  forms :  as- 
cetic in  John  the  Baptist,  social  in  Christ.  The  world  recognized 
it  in  neither.  In  John  they  said  it  w^as  insanity :  "  He  hath  a 
devil ;"  in  Christ  worldliness  and  irreligion :  "  Behold  a  man 
gluttonous,  and  a  wine-bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners." 

To  the  world  Christ  replied,  in  simple  and  deep  words,  that 
they  were  incompetent  judges  of  the  question.  None  could  rec- 
ognize the  Divine  life  but  those  who  lived  it ;  none  justify  wis- 
dom except  her  children.  The  Divine  life  was  always  the  same, 
but  it  expressed  itself  outwardly  in  no  special  single  form  of  life. 
Wisdom,  under  whatever  form  she  might  appear — the  life  of  as- 
ceticism or  the  life  social — would  be  justified  or  recognized  by 
her  children. 


138  Wisdom  Justified  of  her  Children. 

On  last  Sunday  *  I  expounded  the  principle  that  the  judgment 
of  doctrine  is  made  possible  by  an  obedient  life.  In  every  de- 
partment of  life  there  is  an  organ  for  judging.  In  the  world  of 
sense,  the  empiric  intellect.  In  the  world  of  spirit  another  organ 
altogether  is  needed ;  not  the  understanding,  but  the  heart :  "  with 
the  heart  man  believeth."  Neither  astronomy  nor  mathematics 
nor  scientific  analysis  will  enable  you  to  reach  God.  You  must 
feel  Ilim :  "Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  en- 
tered into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  Him."  Obedience  is  the  organ  by  which  you 
judge  of  things  not  seen  or  heard.  One  act  of  charity  will  teach 
you  more  of  God,  "  of  moral  evil,  and  of  good,  than  all  the  sages 
can."  "My  judgment  is  just:  because  I  seek  not  My  own  will, 
but  the  will  of  the  Father  which  hath  sent  Me.  If  any  man  will 
do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God, 
or  whether  I  speak  of  Myself." 

This  is  the  only  ground  on  which  we  can  stand  against  Ra- 
tionalism. Rationalism  says.  By  evidence  of  the  understanding, 
by  historical  investigation,  by  scientific  research.  We  say.  By 
the  evidence  of  the  heart.  The  mightiest  chemist  knows  nothing 
about  immortality  or  about  God. 

I  then  applied  this  principle  to  three  cases — speculative  truth, 
morals,  and  the  understanding  of  character.  A  pure  heart  and  a 
self-surrendered  will  clarify  the  heart  to  judge  rightly.  When  all 
selfish  motives  for  choosing  one  view  rather  than  another  are  de- 
stroyed, speculative  truths,  such  as  those  of  Calvinism,  become 
clearer.  So  also  in  moral  truths,  such  as  slavery,  or  the  Epicu- 
rean "  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  to-morrow  we  die." 

I  omitted  one  case — "  I  judge  no  man ;  and  yet  if  I  judge.  My 
judgment  is  true,  for  I  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the  Father  that 
sent  Me  " — which  omission  I  now  supply. 

The  humble  desire  to  know  and  do  the  will  of  God  is  the  con- 
dition on  which  we  gain  insight  into  human  character.  "  If  any 
man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  "  of  the  Teacher  as  well  as 
the  doctrine.  The  life  Divine  can  only  be  recognized  by  the  chil- 
dren of  that  life.  You  must  be  a  child  of  wisdom  before  you 
can  justly  judge  of  the  Teacher.  You  cannot  otherwise  say, 
broadly,  asceticism  is  right,  or  social  life  right. 

Therefore  we  consider — 

*  Second  Series,  Sermon  viii. 


Wisdom  Justified  of  her  Children.  139 

I.  The  tone  of  mind  wliicli  capacitates  for  judging  character ;  and 

II.  The  tone  of  mind  which  incapacitates  for  judging. 

I.  The  tone  of  mind  which  capacitates  for  judging  human  char- 
acter. 

The  children  of  wisdom  possess  an  unerring  judgment  of  doc- 
trine, and  an  unerring  insiglit  into  human  character,  gained  by  a 
childhke  spirit  of  obedience,  and  not  by  intellect :  "  I  thank  Thee, 

0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because  Thou  hast  hid  these 
things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto 
babes."     The  children  of  wisdom  are  here  called  "  babes." 

By  sympathy  alone  can  you  judge  of  character.  Children  are 
those  who  are  like  children.  By  pure  sympathy  and  by  pure 
character  you  discern  what  is  pure.  Delighting  in  good,  you 
discern  it  not  as  a  rival,  but  as  a  friend,  recognizing  its  character- 
istics. This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  metaphor.  A  mother,  chang- 
ing her  garb,  may  be  mistaken  by  strangers ;  but  under  every  met- 
amorphosis she  is  recognized  by  her  children,  who  know  her 
voice  by  the  secret  tact  of  sympathy. 

And  this  is  the  universal  doctrine  of  Christ.  He  never  taught 
on  personal  authority  :  "  Yet  if  I  judge,  My  judgment  is  true,  for 

1  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the  Father  that  sent  Me ;"  but  on  the 
authority  of  truth,  evident  to  true  minds ;  and  on  the  authority  of 
a  pure  life,  evident  to  jpure  minds ;  "  Which  of  you  convinceth 
Me  of  sin  ?  and  if  I  say  the  truth,  w%  do  ye  not  believe  Me  ?" 
You  cannot  separate  the  teacher  from  the  doctrine ;  they  are  be- 
lieved together.  Therefore  we  believe  Christianity  because  we  be- 
lieve Christ,  feeling  that  He  was  true  by  intuitive  perception. 
And  we  believe  it,  because  we  feel  it  true  that  God  is  love,  and 
that  we  are  immortal :  "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God 
hath  the  witness  in  himself."  Thus,  then.  He  taught  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity :  eternal  life,  the  dignity  and  spirituality  of  the 
soul,  the  relation  of  humanity  to  God,  the  laws  of  self-sacrifice, 
and  the  paternal  character  of  God.  His  was  no  long-drawn 
scheme  of  evidences,  for  "  He  hath  the  witness  in  Himself."  Tlicy 
that  were  of  God  would  hear  Him,  they  that  were  not  of  God 
would  not  hear  Him.  "  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  God's  words ; 
ye  therefore  hear  them  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  God." 

"Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children."  Sympathy  is  a  test 
and  example  of  this.     Our  judgment  of  Christ's  actions  depends 


140  Wisdom  JiLstificd  of  her  Children. 

on  our  sympathy  ^vith  His  mind.  We  must  share  His  indigna- 
tion against  the  Pharisees,  and  the  strong  expressions  of  His  anger 
against  the  sticklers  for  the  Sabbath,  and  against  those  who  neg- 
lected justice,  judgment,  and  truth.  AVe  must  get  into  His  at- 
mosphere if  we  would  breathe  His  spirit.  By  no  other  organ  but 
that  of  sympathy  can  you  judge  of  the  character  of  Christ.  Wis- 
dom is  justified  by  her  children,  i.  e.  by  those  who  have  the  child- 
like spirit  of  obedience,  and  by  none  else ;  the  things  of  wisdom 
are  revealed  to  babes,  but  they  are  hidden  from  the  wise  and  pru- 
dent :  "  I  thank  Thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because 
Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes."  Clear  intelligence  fails  here.  It  is 
common  to  say  that  the  mind  must  be  like  a  sheet  of  white  paper 
in  order  to  judge  of  truth.  This  is  true  in  matters  of  sense  and 
mere  understanding,  such  as  whether  this  world's  duration  has 
been  ten  thousand  or  ten  million  years ;  but  in  matters  moral  and 
spiritual  this  same  white-paper  tone  of  mind  is  not  the  best  for 
arriving  at  truth.  I  cannot  investigate  whether  there  be  a  God, 
or  whether  God  is  love  or  not,  in  the  same  way  as  respecting  a 
sea-serpent.  Just  fancy  the  evidence  nicely  balanced :  "  Nature 
red  in  tooth  and  claw,"  shriekino;  ao:ainst  the  creed :  while  a 
strong,  mighty  throb  of  the  heart,  kindred  with  God,  declares  it- 
self in  defiance,  and  is  indifferent  to  all  evidence.  Evidence  comes 
after,  not  before. 

Much  more  is  this  the  case  in  judging  of  human  character.  I 
feel  that  a  man  is  pure  by  sympathy.  I  must  judge  the  action 
from  the  man,  almost  more  than  the  man  from  the  action.  For 
example,  there  was  such  a  man. before  whom  the  evidence  of 
Christ's  character  was  placed  —  Simon  the  Pharisee.  It  is  a 
touching  incident.  A  sinful  woman,  weeping,  shedding  costly 
ointment;  Jesus  throwing  Himself  in  mighty  trust  on  the  new 
sympathy  of  a  regenerate  heart ;  "  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  Thee." 
Upon  this  the  Pharisee  looked  with  a  clear  intelligent  eye,  as  cold 
and  tearless  as  if  he  were  summing  up  the  evidence  on  some  ques- 
tion of  accounts.  What  was  wanting  in  this  man?  Intellect? 
There  never  was  argument  more  logical :  "  This  man,  if  he  were 
a  prophet,  would  have  known  who  and  what  manner  of  woman 
this  is  that  toucheth  him."  Moral  character?  He  would  not 
touch  a  sinner.  No  !  what  he  wanted  was  heart,  living  sympathy. 
Can  you  estimate  music  by  mathematics  ?     The  child  would  have 


Wisdom  Justified  of  her  CJi ildren .  141 

judged  unerringly  wliere  the  man  failed.  Generous  impulses  over- 
leap a  thousand  steps  of  argument.  It  was  hidden  from  the  wise 
and  prudent.  It  was  revealed  unto  babes.  "  Therefore  the  pub- 
licans and  the  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you." 

"  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?"  Some  said,  "  He  is  a  good  man  ;" 
some,  "  He  is  more  than  man,  a  prophet ;"  but  Simon  Peter  said, 
"  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  The  candid 
Pharisee  Simon  said,  "  This  man  is  not  a  prophet." 

You  judge  of  Christ !  Feel  Christ.  "  Learn  to  love  one  living 
man."  "  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  reveal  it  unto  you,  but  My  Father 
which  is  in  heaven." 

IT.  The  tone  of  mind  which  incapacitates,  and  the  hindrances 
to  right  judgment  of  human  character.  "Wisdom  is  justified  of 
her  children  "  implies  that  they  who  are  not  wdse  will  not  recog- 
nize wisdom. 

1.  The  habit  of  insincere  praise  incapacitates  for  forming  a 
right  judgment  of  character.  During  the  life  of  Jesus  the  Phari- 
sees and  Sadducees  alike  flattered  Him :  "  We  know  that  Thou 
art  true,  and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth;  neither  carest 
Thou  for  any  man,  for  Thou  regardest  not  the  person  of  men  " — 
"Good  Master" — "Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  Thee,  and  the 
paps  which  Thou  hast  sucked."  To  these  unreal  flatteries  He  re- 
turned indignant  replies :  "  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  hypocrites  ?" — 
"Why  callest  thou  me  good?  There  is  none  good  but  one,  that 
is  God." — "  Yea,  rather  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  w^ord  of  God, 
and  keep  it."  By  these  unfelt  praises  men  were  unfitting  them- 
selves from  the  power  of  estimating  Him. 

This  is  a  habit  which  grows  upon  us,  for  it  is  easily  acquired. 
AVe  use  courtly  phrases,  well-turned  sentences,  we  write  notes  and 
letters  which  mean  nothing.  The  temptation  is  great  because  we 
know  it  pleases ;  until  at  last,  finding  that  these  delicate  insinceri- 
ties succeed,  writing  and  language  become  voluble.  The  worst  in- 
jury is  done,  not  to  others,  but  to  ourselves.  We  despise  the  man 
we  praise  too  much  ;  our  genuine  reverence  for  him  is  gone,  and 
a  secret  contempt  takes  its  place.  We  indulge  in  a  language  of 
admiration  which  means  nothing ;  we  praise  that  which  does  not 
merit  it,  until  we  believe  that  there  is  nothing  deserving  of  praise. 
Goodness  becomes  a  thing  of  fiction — a  fiction  in  our  praise,  a 
fiction  in  itself.     Accordingly,  these  unwise  and  unreal  children  of 


142  Wis  do  J n  Justified  of  her  Children, 

tlie  world,  on  whose  li^^s  the  unfailing  phrases  of  politeness  sit,  are 
precisely  those  who  are  most  sceptical  of  human  goodness.  And 
they  who  went  out  to  be  baptized  by  John,  and  gave  lip-reverence 
to  Christ,  were  saying  in  their  hearts  that  John  was  mad,  and  that 
the  Redeemer  was  a  common  worldly  man. 

2.  A  light,  satirical,  and  irreverent  spirit  also  incapacitates.  The 
irreverent  said,  "He  hath  a  devil" — "He  is  a  common  worldly 
man" — "How  can  this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat?" — "Ah, 
Thou  that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  bnildest  it  in  three  days,  save 
Thyself,  and  come  down  from  the  cross" — "  He  saved  others.  Him- 
self He  cannot  save."  See  how  ribaldry  unfitted  them  for  judg- 
ing, and  how  even  a  Divine  character  could  be  made  to  seem  ri- 
diculous !  That  such  cannot  judge  of  character  is  intelligible.  One 
reason  is  because  excellence  of  character  is  not  shown  them.  Who 
would  give  utterance  to  a  generous  emotion  when  he  knows  that  it 
will  be  heard  with  a  sneer,  or  pour  out  his  heart  when  he  knows 
that  patriotism  is  reckoned  pretence,  religion  cant,  or  man's  honor 
and  woman's  purity  childish  fables  ? 

Another  reason,  moreover,  is  because  this  spirit  withers  all  that 
it  touches.  Hence  wisdom  of  heart  is  necessary,  moral  earnest- 
ness, reverence,  and  belief  in  goodness  are  indispensable  elements 
in  a  child  of  wisdom.  You  cannot  judge  rightly  unless  you  feel 
that  the  heart  of  man  is  holy  ground,  and  his  emotions  sacred. 
"  Hollow  smile  and  frozen  sneer,  come  not  near."  Except  in  this 
spirit,  dare  not  to  judge  your  brother. 

3.  Jealousy  incapacitates  for  forming  a  right  judgment.  The 
Scribes  were  jealous  of  Christ  because  His  teaching  was  on  a  prin- 
ciple different  from  theirs ;  the  Pharisees,  because  His  righteous- 
ness was  of  a  different  stamp.  It  is  melancholy  to  see  how  this 
jealousy  blinds.  The  excellences  which  we  are  most  capable  of 
appreciating  because  they  are  kindred  with  our  own  arc  the  very 
ones  which  we  cannot  see.  It  is  melancholy  to  think  of  Joseph's 
brethren  jealous  of  their  father's  love,  and  seeing  in  hira  only  a 
dreamer  of  dreams ;  or  of  Haman  unable  to  enjoy  life  because  of 
Mordecai. 

It  is  more  melancholy  still  to  see  a  high  and  good  mind  poison- 
ed by  some  mean  and  ungenerous  rivalry. 


Wisdo?n  yustified  of  her  Children.  143 


XXI. 

WISDOM  JUSTIFIED  OF  HER  CHILDREN. 

(2.) 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton^  March  16,  1851. 

"And  they  said  unto  him,  Why  do  the  disciples  of  John  fast  often,  and 
make  prayers,  and  likewise  the  disciples  of  the  Pharisees ;  but  thine  eat  and 
drink  ?"— Luke  v.  33. 

The  outward  religious  life  of  Christ  differed  from  tliat  of  Jolin. 
One  was  social,  the  other  ascetic.  To  the  astonishment  created 
by  this  difference  among  worldly  people  and  Pharisees  He  vouch ^ 
safed  no  reply.  When  they  said,  "  Behold  a  gluttonous  man,  and 
a  wine-bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners !"  He  merely  re- 
plied, "Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children" — by  her  children, 
and  by  them  only.  You  must  have  sympathy  with  a  life  before 
you  can  understand  it.  You  must  do  the  will  of  God  before  you 
can  judge  the  doctrine  of  God.  You  must  have  the  spirit  of  the 
life  of  Christ  in  you  before  you  can  recognize  the  Divine  charac- 
ter of  the  life. 

This  was  our  subject  last  Sunday.  For  judgment  of  character, 
sympathy  is  necessary.  He  only  can  understand  who  resembles : 
"  For  what  man  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man,  save  the  spirit  of 
man  which  is  in  him  ?  even  so  the  things  of  God  knoweth  no 
man,  but  the  Spirit  of  God." 

Once,  however,  Jesus  condescended  to  explain  the  difference  be- 
tween His  life  and  the  life  of  John.  On  the  present  occasion  the 
question  was  asked  by  John's  disciples,*  not  captiously,  but  for 
the  sake  of  information,  "  Why  do  the  disciples  of  John  fast 
often,  and  make  prayers,  and  likewise  the  disciples  of  the  Phari- 
sees; but  thine  eat  and  drink?"  Therefore  He  replies,  "Can  ye 
make  the  children  of  the  bridechamber  fast  while  the  bridegroom 

*  Mutt.  ix.  14. 


144  Wisdom  Justified  of  Jier  Children, 

is  with  them?  But  the  days  will  come  when  the  bridegroom 
shall  be  taken  away  from  them,  and  then  shall  they  fast  in  those 
days."  And  that  reply  goes  deep  into  the  grounds  of  a  religious 
life. 

Our  business  is  with  the  question  and  the  reply. 

I.  The  reasons  for  the  astonishment  which  caused  the  question. 

II.  The  reasons  for  the  form  of  life  adopted. 

I.  The  Divine  life  was  social.  He  came  eating  and  drinking. 
He  lived  the  common  life  of  men — outwardly  nothing  remarka- 
ble. There  was  nothing  in  His  habits  of  dress,  living,  or  worship 
to  distinguish  Him  from  those  of  His  own  rank,  or  to  manifest 
eminent  religiousness. 

Therefore  the  world  was  astonished,  because  the  popular  vulgar 
conceptions  of  religious  life  are  drawn  naturally  from  those  evi- 
dences which  are  most  visible,  fasting  and  prayers. 

Now  the  two  main  elements  of  religious  life  are  self-denial  and 
love.  The  highest  form  of  self-denial  is  self-sacrifice.  Both  meet 
in  the  cross — self-surrender  in  love.  The  highest  form  of  love  is 
communion  with  God:  "He  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in 
God,  and  God  in  him."  AVhere  these  are,  religion  is ;  where  these 
are  not,  religion  is  not. 

Hence  these  two  acts,  fasting  and  prayer,  express  the  whole  of 
religious  life — fasting,  self-denial ;  prayer,  communion  with  God. 
These  are  expressions  level  to  every  apprehension,  translations 
into  popular  language. 

All  can  understand  the  self-denial  of  fasting,  because  hunger  is 
a  low  want,  known  to  all.  But  all  cannot  understand  the  self- 
denial  of  hard  mental  work,  or  that  of  associating  with  uncon- 
genial minds,  or  that  of  honestly  pursuing  a  disagreeable  occupa- 
tion or  profession. 

Hence  in  rude  ages  this  told.  John's  ascetic  life  was  a  power 
with  the  vulgar.  Had  Bernard  been  less  emaciated  by  fasting,  he 
had  never  led  Europe  to  the  Crusades. 

All  can  comprehend  that  a  man  is  praying  when  he  kneels 
down,  when  he  repeats  Church  prayers,  or  is  at  his  place  during 
the  service.  But  not  all  can  understand  that  the  highest  prayer 
or  communion  with  God  is  a  life  of  love ;  that 

' '  He  prayeth  well  who  loveth  well 
All  things,  both  great  and  small." 


Wisdom  Justified  of  Jicr  Children.  145 

The  self-denial  of  Christ  was  not  abstinence  from  food,  but  the 
putting  aside  every  soft  temptation  which  turned  Him  from  the 
cross.  His  prayer  was  a  life  of  love.  Accordingly,  when  these 
forms  were  missed,  which  were  the  best  known  because  the  most 
visible  expressions  of  religious  life,  to  the  coarse  popular  mind  re- 
ligion itself  was  gone. 

Here,  hov/ever,  a  distinction  must  be  drawn  between  the  con- 
ceptions of  spirituality  which  were  false  and  those  which  were 
merely  limited.  The  disciples  both  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  John 
led  the  life  ascetic.  In  the  first  case  there  was  a  false  conception 
of  spirituality,  in  the  second  a  limited  one.  We  must  distinguish 
betv.'een  those  who  are  zealous  for  a  definite  form  because  it  is 
all,  and  those  who  are  zealous  because  of  their  affection  to  the 
Truth  Divine  which  is  linked  with  it.  Oh,  sacred  be  the  form  to 
which  sucli  affections  are  linked,  and  through  which  such  truths 
are  received,  be  it  bread,  or  wine,  or  colored  glass,  or  a  crucifix,  or 
a  priest's  white  robe ! 

Beware,  therefore.  Nothing  can  be  more  uncharitable  than  that 
coarse,  rude,  indiscriminate,  vulgar  tone  in  which  all  that  is  formal 
in  religion  is  treated  as  Jesuitry,  Puseyism,  or  unspiritual  feeling. 
Before  we  dare  to  use  such  language,  if  we  have  a  faith  which  has 
"  centre  everywhere,  nor  cares  to  fix  itself  to  form,"  let  us  be  sure 
that  we  are  opposing  ourselves  to  Pharisees,  and  not  to  the  disci- 
ples of  a  Baptist.  For  it  is  just  as  narrow  to  be  blind  to  the 
spirituality  which  exists  in  a  formal  life  as  to  think  that  it  can- 
not exist  separate  from  form.  They  were  Pharisees  who  called 
Christ's  life  worldly;  but,  remark,  they  too  were  Pharisees  who 
said  of  John  Baptist,  "He  hath  a  devil."  The  children  of  wisdom 
only  were  able  to  recognize  the  spirituality  of  the  Baptist's  life. 

Again,  there  is  a  tendency  in  disciples  to  copy  and  idolize  the 
peculiarities  of  a  master.  You  may  know  the  school  to  which  a 
man  belongs  by  a  single  conversation,  by  his  tone,  phraseology, 
and  manner.  That  great  religious  teacher  who  led  the  Romaniz- 
ing section  of  the  Church,  and  who  for  years  wielded  a  wondrous 
influence  over  the  most  intelligent  young  minds  of  England,  im- 
pressed his  manner  on  his  followers.  Even  now,  in  churches 
where  his  influence  survives,  you  may  recall  the  master's  tones, 
gestures,  silver  voice,  and  the  few  faults  of  his  exquisite,  pure 
English.  So,  also,  the  Puritan  manners  still  survive.  Now  in  this 
it  is  easy  to  copy,  it  is  hard  to  imitate.    In  the  noble  life  of  John, 

7 


146  Wisdom  Justified  of  Jicr  Children. 

tbe  disciples  miglit  copy  the  food,  dress,  indifference  to  comfort, 
of  the  Baptist ;  but  they  did  not  thereby  get  his  zeal,  his  lofty 
love  of  justice  and  of  truth.  The  peculiarities  are  missed  sooner 
than  the  spirit.  Hence  when  the  breath  is  not  bated,  nor  the 
usual  cant  expressions  heard,  nor  the  accustomed  whine,  nor  the 
forced  unction,  a  man  is  counted  irreverent.  But  by  using  the 
brush  and  colors  of  a  painter,  you  do  not  get  his  power. 

Again,  the  indifference  of  Christ  to  ascetic  forms  astonished, 
because  there  is  a  real  influence  in  asceticism. 

The  principle  of  Christianity  is  from  within  outwards :  *'  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  you,"  "Except  a  man  be  born  again, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 

The  sacramental  principle,  the  ascetic  principle,  the  patristic 
principle,  reverse  this.  They  proceed  from  things  outward  to 
things  inward.  Hence,  they  say  the  sacraments  are  to  pour  God's 
Spirit  into  you  ;  fasting  is  to  make  you  pure ;  the  habit  of  saying 
prayers  is  to  give  you  the  spirit  of  prayer.  Now,  there  is  a  truth 
in  this.  The  outward  world  does  tell  upon  the  spirit  within  us. 
Prayer  persevered  in  will  bring  a  calm,  passion-subdued  feeling. 
Fasting  will  not  suggest  one  high  motive,  but  it  will  produce  low- 
ness  of  animal  energy,  and  keep  down  strong  feeling  for  a  time. 
It  will  give  a  sense  of  hardness,  and  make  a  man  independent  of 
comfort. 

The  passions  distort  the  countenance.  And  when  the  actor 
distorts  the  features  a  simulation  of  the  feeling  of  anger  ensues, 
and  real  tears  flow.  So,  no  wonder  that  men  habituated  to  an 
ascetic  system,  and  feeling  by  experience  its  power  to  a  certain 
extent,  should  have  been  sceptical  of  any  good  without  it,  or 
should  have  doubted  the  power  of  elevated  feeling  to  do  that 
which  asceticism  could  not  do.  Accustomed  to  believe  in  the 
power  of  the  flesh,  no  wonder  they  doubted  the  power  of  the 
spirit.  "  This  I  say,  then,  AValk  in  the  spirit,  and  ye  shall  not  ful- 
fil the  lust  of  the  flesh."  "  Bodily  exercise  profiteth  little :  but 
godliness. is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come." 

II.  The  reasons  for  which  Jesus  did  not  impose  the  life  ascetic 
on  His  disciples. 

1.  Because  it  is  unnatural:  "Can  the  children  of  the  bride- 
chamber  mourn  as  lonoj  as  the  brideo-room  is  with  them."     Fast- 


Wisdom  Justified  of  Jicr  Children.  147 

ing  was  the  mark  of  grief.  The  usual  accompaniment  of  fasting 
was  "to  afflict  the  soul,  and  to  bow  down  the  head  as  a  bulrush, 
and  to  spread  sackcloth  and  ashes  under  him."  The  time  miglit 
and  would  come  when  sorrow  and  dismay  would  be  their  portion. 
Then  the  forms  of  rehgious  woe  w^ould  be  natural,  and  correspond. 
But  now,  while  buoyed  up  wdth  hopes  of  the  Messianic  kingdom, 
it  would  be  unnatural  and  incongruous.  There  is  grief  enough 
in  store  for  them.  But  to  force  grief,  to  pretend  grief  which 
they  did  not  feel,  would  be  like  mourning  at  a  bridal. 

Here,  then,  is  a  principle  laid  down.  Let  the  manifestation  of 
religious  life  be  natural.  Christ  imposed  no  form,  and  ordained 
no  ritual.  lie  simply  left  a  place  for  future  feeling  to  expand 
and  express  itself.  He  provided  no  hard  unelastic  case  for  the 
soul's  affections. 

Let  us  never  use  w-ords  or  forms  for  ourselves  merely  because 
they  have  suited  other  men.  John's  locust  food  and  carael's-hair 
garment  were  graceful  in  him  because  natural,  but  in  a  copyist 
simply  falsehood.  The  dropped  voice  of  reverence,  so  real  in  one, 
in  an  imitator  becomes  a  sanctimonious  whine.  Be  natural,  be 
yourself,  be  real !  David's  sling  was  better  for  David  than  Saul's 
armor. 

There  will  come  a  time  when  the  sad  experience  of  life  will 
surround  the  soul  with  sombreness  and  mystery ;  a  time  when 
the  insoluble  riddle  of  this  unintelligible  world  will  press  heavily 
on  the  spirit,  and  the  soul  must  keep  its  solitary  fast  with  God. 
But  do  not  anticipate  that  time. 

In  the  education  of  children,  let  this  principle  be  borne  in  mind. 
The  religion  of  the  man  is  different  from  the  religion  of  the 
child.  The  matin-hymn  of  early  life  is  full  of  joy  and  praise, 
like  the  disciples.  If  you  put  into  the  child's  mouth  the  lan- 
guage of  penitence,  and  force  him  to  acknowledge  himself  a  mis- 
erable sinner,  whose  crime  has  been  the  murder  of  a  butterfly, 
and  whose  omission  th(3  over-enjoyment  of  a  holiday,  all  becomes 
unnatural.  The  penitential  strains  of  after-life,  the  sorrow,  and 
the  sense  of  failure  and  perpetually  foiled  effort — let  them  come, 
but  not  yet. 

2.  His  second  reason  was  because  of  the  results.  These  are 
given  in  two  parables :  the  new  wine  put  into  old  bottles,  and 
nevf  cloth  put  upon  the  old.  AVonderful  how  the  plain  meaning 
of  these  parables  has  been  missed  by  commentators.     They  have 


148  Wisdom  Justified  of  Jicr  CJiildren. 

thought  of  new  doctrine  and  old,  of  Christianity  and  Judaism. 
And  the  doctrine  taught  seemed  to  be  to  avoid  mixing  new  and 
old.  Whereas  the  old  cloth  and  the  old  bottles  represent  young 
novice  disciples — the  resemblance  lying  in  the  weakness,  not  in 
the  age.  New  wine,  new  cloth,  represent  austere  duties  and  doc- 
trines. The  lesson  is  not  the  avoidance  of  mixture  of  old  and 
new  doctrine,  but  the  necessity  of  not /orcmy  severe  duties  and 
forms  on  those  unprepared  to  receive  them. 

Now,  the  result  of  that  forcing  system  is  twofold. 

First,  the  destruction  of  religion.  The  weah  old  wine  skin-bot- 
tles, the  weak  old  cloth,  are  rent.  Therefore  avoid  dropped  tones 
and  over-spiritual  expressions.  They  are  bad  symptoms  of  the 
present  day ;  they  are  the  forcing  of  high  doctrines  and  expres- 
sions of  high  spirituality.  Force  nothing ;  let  us  be  true  and  sim- 
ple— what  we  are,  and  nothing  else.  Content,  if  need  be,  like 
Christ,  to  be  reckoned  worldly. 

A  second  result  is  hypocrisy.  The  piece  "  agreeth  not."  Tlicre 
is  want  of  harmony  ;  no  agreement  between  the  form  and  the  life. 

Hence  result  such  startling  incongruities  as  daily  prayer  with 
austere  judgment  of  others ;  religious  missionary  meetings  with 
gossip  and  scandal ;  fasting  with  pride. 

At  last  the  discordance  becomes  too  plain  even  for  the  man 
himself.  Then  we  say  this  must  be  for  example's  sake ;  and  so 
we  sham  and  sham  till  we  become  hypocrites.  Example !  Do  we 
think  that  men  take  example  from  one  form  or  from  one  spirit? 

Now,  understand  from  this  the  life  of  Christ.  His  was  the 
life  of  God  under  the  limitations  of  humanity.  To  that  life  wc 
return  at  last.  Understand  that,  and  you  understand  Christianity. 
Misunderstand  that,  and  you  misunderstand  Christianity. 

The  life  of  Christ  differs  in  nothing  outwardly  from  ours.  He 
ate  and  drank.     The  difference  was  within,  in  the  central  deeps. 

Christianity  is  love  to  God  and  man.  To  love  the  Lord  our 
God  with  all  thy  heart  and  soul  and  mind,  and  to  love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself.    This  is  the  life  that  is  hidden  with  Christ  in  God. 

The  shape  in  which  that  life  will  show  itself  varies  with  age 
and  sex  and  circumstance.  It  manifests  itself  in  the  stern  Re- 
former or  in  the  daily  Friend. 

You  are  not  religious  because  your  life  is  encompassed  with 
form,  or  because  it  is  enlarged  and  liberal  and  indifferent  to  form. 

The  life  of  God  is  in  the  soul  of  man. 


The  Wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon.  149 


xxn. 

THE   WISDOM    OF    CHRIST    AND    THE   WISDOM    OF 
SOLOMON. 

Brighton,  March  23,  1851. 

"The  queen  of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  the  men  of 
this  generation,  and  condemn  them :  for  she  came  from  the  utmost  parts  of 
the  earth  to  hear  tlie  wisdom  of  Solomon ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Solo- 
mon is  here." — Luke  xi.  31. 

That  which  lies  at  the  root  of  many  of  the  controversies  of  the 
present  day  is  this,  whether  for  the  production  of  national  great- 
ness we  are  to  rely  on  the  illumination  of  the  understanding,  or 
on  the  training  of  the  heart  and  the  discipline  of  the  affections. 
This  question  in  the  matter  of  education  has  divided  the  people 
of  this  country  into  two  great  sections.  The  first  are  those  who, 
to  borrow  a  Continental  phrase,  may  be  called  the  friends  of  light. 
With  them  light  is  equivalent  for  all  that  is  good,  darkness  the 
equivalent  for  all  that  is  evil ;  with  them  light  is  knowledge,  and 
darkness  ignorance.  Let  there  be,  they  say,  an  expulsion  of  intel- 
lectual darkness,  and  with  it  you  will  banish  every  form  of  moral 
ill.  The  second  class  are  those  who  are  disposed  to  undervalue 
this  secular  education.  According  to  them,  to  instruct  the  chil- 
dren of  the  poor,  to  give  to  the  working  classes  a  taste  for  the 
beautiful,  is  to  do  positive  and  actual  harm.  Extensive  informa- 
tion they  regard  with  jealousy.  The  inspired  judgment  contained 
in  the  text  coincides  with  neither  of  these  views.  It  does  not 
agree  with  the  view  of  those  who  would  neglect  or  undervalue 
this  secular  education,  for  it  declares  that  the  wdsdom  of  Solomon 
was  great,  and  that  the  Queen  of  Slieba,  who  came  to  listen  to  it, 
was  to  be  commended.  Neither  does  it  agree  with  the  view  of 
those  who  make  secular  illumination  everything,  for  it  says  that 
there  is  something  far  higher  than  this.  It  says  to  intellectual  il- 
lumination that  she  is  to  know  her  place,  that  she  is  second,  not 
first;  that  Christ  is  greater  than  Solomon;  it  says  that  apathy 


150  The  Wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon, 

witli  respect  to  spiritual  knowledge  is  just  as  much  more  criminal 
than  apathy  with  respect  to  intellectual  illumination,  as  the  wisdom 
of  Christ  transcends  that  of  Solomon. 

I  am  to  appeal  to  you  to-day  on  behalf  of  the  Diocesan  Train- 
ing-school in  this  town ;  I  therefore  choose  this  as  the  most  suit- 
able subject  for  our  contemplation.  We  shall  have  two  things  to 
consider : 

I.  The  value  of  secular  knowledge. 

II.  The  transcending  value  of  spiritual  wisdom. 

I.  First,  then,  the  value  of  secular  knowledge. 

1.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  was  commended  for  having  come  to  hear 
the  wisdom  of  Solomon ;  this  commendation  is  manifestly  im- 
plied, for  it  is  said  that  she  shall  rise  up  in  judgment  with  the 
men  of  this  generation.  Now,  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  was  chiefly 
secular — the  knowledge  of  the  objects  of  this  world,  and  the  ma- 
terials whereof  composed.  We  have  a  description  of  his  wisdom, 
"  He  spake  three  thousand  proverbs ;  his  songs  were  a  thousand 
and  fiVfe."  Here  the  first  branch  of  his  knowledge  is  a  store  of 
practical  wisdom ;  but  that  wisdom  is  chiefly  prudential,  by  no 
means  the  highest ;  it  fits  a  man  only  to  live  in  this  world.  We 
pass  to  the  next  verse,  where  we  find  that  "  he  spake  of  trees,  from 
the  cedar  that  is  in  Lebanon,  even  unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth 
out  of  the  w^all :  he  spake  also  of  beasts  and  of  fowl,  of  creeping 
things  and  of  fishes."  All  that  is  contained  in  the  encyclopaedic 
range  of  knowledge,  all  that  is  useful,  and  all  that  belongs  to  this 
world  and  its  objects,  with  respect  to  their  beauty — all  this  Solo- 
mon possessed  abundantly. 

Again,  we  are  told  that  God  gave  him  an  understanding  heart, 
to  enable  him  to  guide  the  people ;  here  was  the  branch  of  polit- 
ical knowledire.  To  this  he  added  a  knowledge  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  and  of  all  the  means  whereby  he  could  extend  the  com- 
merce of  his  nation,  sending  out  his  ships  to  Tarshish  to  trade 
there,  and  uniting  by  the  same  means  Tyre  and  Jerusalem. 

Once  more,  the  reign  of  Solomon  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  the 
building  of  the  Temple — an  edifice  that  proclaims  to  us  that  then 
the  arts  and  sciences  had  grown  to  an  extent  scarcely  known  be- 
fore or  since.  So  that  all  that  could  adorn  the  metropolis,  all  that 
could  gratify  taste  the  most  sublime  and  the  most  refined,  met  in 
Jerusalem ;  this  era  was  forever  celebrated  in  Jerusalem's  annals. 


The  Wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon.  1 5 1 

It  was  not  the  age  in  wliicli  Israel  was  noblest  or  bravest,  nor  was 
it  remarkable  for  the  pureness  of  Jehovah's  worship ;  neither  was 
it  the  age  in  which  the  people  were  the  most  happ)^,  but  it  was 
the  age  in  which  intellect  had  attained  its  acme,  it  was  the  age  in 
which  civilization  was  complete,  and  in  which  wisdom  had  shown 
all  that  she  could  do  here. 

2.  We  pass  on  to  consider  that  this  knowledge  is  good  in  and 
for  itself.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  came,  not  to  see  the  wealth  of 
Solomon,  but  to  hear  his  wisdom.  True  it  is  they  showed  her  the 
wonders  of  his  reign ;  but  it  was  not  for  these  that  she  came ; 
neither  did  she  come  to  hear  his  wisdom  that  she  might  turn  it 
to  her  own  purposes ;  it  was  not  for  the  utilitarian  application  of 
his  wisdom,  but  to  hear  the  wisdom  itself.  From  this,  therefore, 
we  infer  that  this  wisdom  is  good  in  and  for  itself,  worthy  of  a 
sovereign  to  gaze  upon. 

We  draw  a  distinction  between  the  gifts  of  wisdom  and  wisdom 
itself.  Knowledge  is  power ;  but  if  you  worship  knowledge  for 
the  sake  of  power,  it  is  power  you  love,  not  knowledge.  There- 
fore, if  we  are  to  be  followers  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  we  must 
seek  truth  for  its  own  sake,  and  not  for  the  sake  of  the  power 
that  it  gives  to  make  this  life  happy.  Remarkable  as  this  age  is 
for  the  spread  of  knowledge  that  is  useful,  it  may  be  doubted,  and 
must  be,  whether  knowledge — that  mere  secular  knowledge  which 
men  worship  now — is  worshipped  with  a  worship  as  disinterested 
and  as  pure  as  that  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba.  The  ancient  archi- 
tects and  artists  built  and  painted  for  the  sake  of  the  pure  idea 
of  beauty  they  loved  to  realize ;  modern  ones  do  it  merely  for  the 
sake  of  aggrandizing  their  names.  The  result  is  that,  degraded 
by  mammon  worship,  their  works  have  lost  their  position  in  the 
scale  of  arts.  Therefore  we  say  that  to  worship  knowledge  for 
itself  has  in  it  its  own  blessing.  They  only  who  thus  seek  wisdom 
can  understand  the  flash  of  surprise  and  the  beating  and  heaving 
of  the  heart,  and  the  sense  of  joy  with  which  such  minds  can  rest 
in  the  contemplation  of  pure  truth,  unpolluted  by  any  selfish  con- 
sideration as  to  how  that  eternal  truth  can  be  made  to  promote 
their  own  interest. 

3.  In  the  third  place,  we  remark,  respecting  this  secular  wisdom, 
that  it  is  utterly  insufficient.  In  the  interpretation  of  the  writ- 
ings of  Solomon  it  is  common  to  force  upon  them  a  spiritual 
meaning,  knowing  that  he  was  inspired.     We  take  it  for  granted 


152  TJie  Wisdom  of  CJirist  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solow.on. 

that  lie  must  have  been  inspired  with  spiritual  wisdom.  But  in 
so  doing  we  lose  the  lesson  he  was  designed  to  teach — we  lose  the 
infinite  difference  between  the  wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon.  We  gain  most  instructive  lessons  from  seeing  what 
Solomon  could  not  reach ;  we  see  the  frightful  want  in  all  that 
Solomon  ever  wrote  or  taught. 

Now,  to  descend  to  particulars.  The  first  thing  that  we  observe 
here  is  the  utter  insufficiency  of  mere  secular  knowledge.  Solo- 
mon was  the  earthly  wisest  of  mankind ;  yet,  when  he  comes  to 
the  close  of  life,  we  find  him  saying,  "  Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is 
vanity  ;"  or,  in  other  words,  "  Emptiness  of  emptiness,  all  is  emp- 
tiness." It  became  a  question  to  him  whether  that  gift  which 
God  had  given  was  worthy  of  being  called  a  gift  at  all — "  Of 
making  many  books  there  is  no  end,  and  much  study  is  weariness 
of  the'flesh." 

The  second  thing  we  notice  is  the  tendency  that  there  is  in 
mere  knowledge  to  end  in  scepticism.  There  is  an  appalling 
darkness  in  the  old  age  of  Solomon.  That  dark,  mysterious  Book 
of  Ecclesiastes  was  inspired  by  God  to  show  us  the  fearful  end  of 
wisdom.  If  you  take  the  concluding  verse  of  that  book,  you 
would  say  that  faith  had  triumphed :  "  Fear  God,  and  keep  His 
commandments."  But  if  we  take  the  entire  book,  the  conclusion 
we  come  to  is  that  wisdom  ended  in  scepticism  ;  for  you  find  the 
deepest  truths  and  the  most  Epicurean  untruths  side  by  side  to- 
gether ;  and  had  we  been  without  the  exposition  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, we  should  have  been  left  in  uncertainty  as  to  which  w^as 
right  and  which  was  wrong:  "  Be  not  righteous  overmuch,  neither 
be  overmuch  wicked  " — mere  Epicurean  prudence,  the  quenching 
of  every  noble  feeling.  In  another  place  we  read,  "  There  is  noth- 
ing better  for  a  man  than  that  he  should  eat  and  drink."  That 
is  the  history  of  Solomon's  wisdom,  to  that  end  he  came  at  last. 
So  may  science  set  out  at  first  with  God,  and  end  at  last  with 
dark,  deplorable,  miserable,  desolate  atheism. 

The  last  thing  we  observe  of  this  earthly  wisdom  is  its  tendency 
to  surround  life  with  luxury  and  sensuality.  AVhen  wisdom  has 
left  its  centre,  God,  it  has  no  centre  left  bat  self;  more  especially 
is  this  the  case  when  commercial  enterprises  and  manufacturing 
activity  have  taken  hold  of  a  nation's  heart.  This  was  the  case 
in  Solomon's  reign  ;  the  end  of  that  worship  of  the  beautiful  in 
arts  and  science  is  the  soft,  enervating,  feeble  unmanliness  that 


The  Wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon,   153 

degraded  the  last  years  of  Solomon.  Ask  you  the  danger  of  this 
age  ?  Some  will  say,  Popery  ;  nay,  it  is  not  that,  but  the  reaction 
of  Popery  that  we  fear ;  the  result  of  the  education,  going  on 
now,  of  the  mind  without  God.  Ours  is  an  age  in  which  science 
works  her  miracles,  an  age  in  which  we  measure  earth  and  heaven, 
an  age  in  which  we  command  the  sun  to  be  our  painter  and  bid 
the  lightning  go  upon  our  errand  :  if  there  is  nothing  in  our  souls 
but  that,  know  you  the  result  ?  If  to  that  there  be  added  noth- 
ing, the  end  inevitably  must  be  atheism — an  atheism  in  which 
God  shall  be  dethroned  from  His  place  within  our  hearts,  and  the 
adoration  of  the  Creator  be  succeeded  by  self-worsliip,  mammon- 
worship,  ease,  luxury ;  and  from  that  all  the  wisdom  in  the  breast 
of  Solomon  cannot,  and  will  not,  save  us. 

II.  We  now  consider  the  transcending  superiority  of  the  spirit- 
ual wisdom  of  Christ. 

There  is  a  contrast  drawn — "  a  greater  than  Solomon  is  here." 
Had  not  our  Master  drawn  the  contrast,  we  should  not  have  dared 
to  do  it.  To  draw  a  contrast  between  the  human  and  divine,  be- 
tween Solomon  and  Christ,  would  savor  of  irreverence ;  but  as  His 
blessed  lips  have  done  it,  there  can  be  no  irreverence  in  our  fol- 
lowing it  out  in  detail. 

Observe,  the  contrast  between  them  does  not  lie  in  this,  that 
Solomon  was  human  and  Christ  divine,  for  that  is  too  manifest. 
There  are  two  points  in  which  we  believe  in  the  divinity  of 
Christ:  the  divinity  of  His  nature,  and  that  of  His  character. 
Divine  by  nature,  the  Eternal  Word  made  flesh,  the  Everlasting 
Son  of  the  Everlasting  Father  manifested  here  on  earth ;  that  is, 
as  it  were,  His  physical  divinity.  But  He  was  also  divine  because 
in  Him  was  the  manifestation  of  the  divine  character;  and  that 
is  His  moral  divinity.  Now,  it  is  in  that  respect  that  the  contrast 
is  here  drawn  betw^een  the  characters  of  the  two  wisdoms;  and, 
therefore,  what  we  have  to  say  on  this  point  shall  divide  itself  into 
these  two  branches — the  contrast  between  Christ  the  teacher  and 
Solomon  the  teacher,  and  the  contrast  between  Christ  the  King 
and  Solomon  the  king. 

First,  the  teaching  of  Christ  was  not  what  we  call  intellectual 
teaching;  the  very  mention  of  such  an  expression  seems  to  us  a 
kind  of  irreverence,  from  which  we  shrink.  His  superiority  did 
not  consist  in  that  He  taught  deeper  truths  of  science  than  Solo- 


154   T^J^-   Wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon. 

mon.  Solomon  spake  of  the  cedar  of  Lebanon  and  of  tlie  hyssop 
springing  out  of  the  wall.  So  spake  also  Christ,  but  in  a  different 
tone  and  manner.  He  spake  of  the  grass  that  to-day  is,  and  to- 
morrow is  cast  into  the  oven.  His  heart  and  eye  were  open  to 
the  sky :  He  saw  the  bright  burning  red  of  evening,  that  foretold 
the  fineness  of  the  future  day.  lie  saw  the  glorious  sun  come 
forth  in  his  majesty.  He  spake  of  the  splendor  of  the  Oriental 
lily.  He  saw  the  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  and 
"yet  it  abideth  not  alone."  He  spake,  too,  of  the  corn,  and  its 
many  lessons — its  gradual  growth,  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  and 
after  that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear ;  also  of  its  various  lots  and  vi- 
cissitudes, sometimes  to  be  cast  on  dry  and  stony  ground,  some- 
times among  thorns,  and  sometimes  in  the  good  ground,  where  it 
might  bring  forth  fruit  abundantly.  But  in  all  this  He  spake  not 
as  the  naturalist,  not  as  the  man  of  science,  but  as  the  Son  of 
God.  Where  Solomon  saw  the  truths  of  nature,  the  Redeemer 
saw  and  taught  the  truths  of  spirit.  If  He  saw,  for  example,  the 
rain  falling  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust,  and  the  sun  shining  on 
the  good  and  bad  alike.  He  discerned  in  that  the  character  of  the 
Father,  and  told  His  hearers  to  be  "  merciful,  even  as  their  Father 
also  is  merciful."  If  He  saw  the  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the 
ground  and  die.  He  discerned  there  the  great  principle  of  self-sac- 
rifice. So  that  herein,  brethren,  lay  the  difference — where  Solo- 
mon taught  simply  truths,  natural  facts,  and  laws,  the  Redeemer 
saw  and  taught  truths  spiritual. 

Again,  there  is  a  contrast  here  between  Christ  the  King  and 
Solomon  the  king.  The  apathy  of  the  age  for  the  wisdom  of  the 
Redeemer  is  easily  accounted  for :  for  whatever  is  simple,  what- 
ever is  really  great,  requires  time  before  its  majesty  can  be  under- 
stood. The  really  great  cathedral  is  not  appreciated  at  once ;  some 
gay  and  gaudy  pile  will  be  admired  first ;  and  so,  too,  he  who  sees 
a  snowy  mountain  for  the  first  time  is  disappointed,  it  is  not  so 
large  and  grand  as  he  expected,  it  appears  as  if  he  could  in  half 
an  hour  attain  the  summit ;  but  when  he  tries  to  ascend  it,  then 
he  finds  its  height;  it  is  not  till  he  has  gone  to  a  distance,  and 
seen  it  from  some  standpoint  ten,  twenty,  or  a  hundred  miles  re- 
moved, and  finds  it  still  there,  in  all  the  majesty  and  purity  of  its 
eternal  repose,  the  monarch  and  the  king  of  all  around — it  is  not 
till  then  that  he  begins  to  feel  for  it  something  like  affection. 
Precisely  so,  if  it  may  be  said  with  reverence,  is  the  divine  charac- 


TJie  Wisdom  of  Christ  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon.   1 5  5 

ter  of  Christ.  There  is  something  almost  amounting  to  bhasphe- 
my  in  the  tone  with  which  we  dare  to  call  Ilim  God.  God,  yes! 
but  to  an  extent  and  with  a  depth  of  reality  which  that  expression 
does  not  reach.  There  are,  perhaps,  few  of  us  who  do  not  re- 
member what  we  thought  of  Christ  when  we  were  young.  He 
seemed  to  us  then  as  something  commonplace ;  there  was  a  poor- 
ness and  a  lack  of  brilliancy,  for  His  was  not  the  victory  or  the 
triumph  of  the  senator  or  of  the  conqueror;  and  in  our  boyish 
love  of  enterprise  this  simple  life  of  Christ  seemed  to  us  tame  and 
cold.  But  life  has  gone  on,  and  we  begin  to  understand,  when 
disappointment  has  saddened  the  heart  and  grief  has  sobered  it, 
when  we  have  comprehended  the  littleness  of  all  here  below, 
when,  after  weary  struggles,  we  find  ourselves  infinitely  below  one 
single  thought  that  ever  passed  through  Ilis  mind — we  begin  to 
understand  that  there  is  a  depth  in  that  expression,  "  A  greater 
than  Solomon  is  here."  We  leave  the  men  of  the  world  to  mar- 
vel and  wonder  at  the  Solomon  of  intellect  and  wealth,  of  success 
and  influence ;  we  have  found  a  shrine  at  which  our  souls  may 
worship  the  King  whom  we  revere,  the  God  whom  we  adore. 

Now,  in  conclusion,  I  have  two  or  three  things  to  say.  First, 
from  this  let  us  learn  the  error  of  those  who  are  inclined  to  sneer 
at  intellectual  illumination.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  was  praised 
for  coming  to  hear  this  wisdom.  The  language  which  some  men 
use  would  almost  leave  it  to  be  supposed  that  the  less  a  man 
knows,  the  nearer  he  is  to  God  ;  if  so,  then  the  best  soil  in  which 
religion  can  grow  is  the  soil  of  ignorance. 

And,  secondly,  we  learn  the  error  of  those  who  make  intellect- 
ual illumination  all  in  all.  Here  has  been  taught  us  a  sad  and 
solemn  lesson  :  remember  this,  intellect  may  be  cultivated  at  the 
expense  of  heart.  There  is  an  awful  expression  following  the 
text — "  The  light  of  the  body  is  the  eye,  therefore  when  thine 
eye  is  single,  thy  whole  body  also  is  full  of  light ;  but  when  thine 
eye  is  evil,  thy  body  also  is  full  of  darkness."  If  the  intellectual 
eye  within  us  be  made  diseased  or  feeble  by  unbelief  or  impurity, 
the  light  is  turned  into  darkness.  The  deepest  darkness  is  that 
which  follows  the  brilliancy  of  the  lightning  flash  at  night ;  the 
deepest  darkness  of  the  soul  is  that  which  follows  the  illumination 
of  the  mind.  It  leads  to  God,  say  you,  but  it  will  be  through 
darkness  and  degradation,  the  fearful  price  which  Solomon  had  to 


1 56  The  Lazu  of  Self-sacrifice 

pay.  If  it  does  lead  a  nation,  it  "vvill  be  through  anarchy  and  reigns 
of  terror.  The  ilkimination  of  the  understanding  must  be  joined 
to  the  training  and  discipline  of  the  heart  by  God's  Holy  Spirit. 


XXIII. 

THE   LAW  OF   SELF-SACRIFICE   EXEMPLIFIED   IN 
THE   DEATH   OF  CHRIST. 

Brighton^  Awjust  3,  1851. 

"Jesus  answered  them,  saying.  The  hour  is  come,  that  the  Son  of  man 
should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a  corn  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone :  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit.  He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  he  that  hateth  bis  life 
in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.  .  .  .  Now  is  my  soul  troubled ; 
and  what  shall  I  say?  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour:  but  for  this  cause 
came  I  unto  this  hour.     Father,  glorify  thy  name." — John  xii.  23-28. 

I  HAVE  read  all  these  verses,  because  to  ha-ve  separated  them 
would  have  broken  the  connection  of  the  thought;  taken  to- 
gether, they  contain  a  history  of  one  of  the  mental  struggles  of 
the  Redeemer.  The  occasion  of  the  utterance  was  this :  certain 
Greeks,  who  had  come  up  to  one  of  the  annual  feasts,  entreated 
for  admission  to  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  Now,  in  this  request 
there  was  something  exceedingly  unusual,  for  they  were  Gentiles, 
and  on  them  apparently  as  yet  no  impression  had  been  made. 

The  verses  I  have  read  contain  the  reply  of  our  Lord  to  this 
announcement.  At  first  sight  there  is  no  connection  between  the 
announcement  and  the  reply ;  but  on  looking  more  closely  wc 
perceive  a  most  intimate  connection.  Had  our  Redeemer  been  a 
mere  man,  intelligence  like  this  would  have  produced' joy,  for  it 
told  of  success  and  popularity.  But  the  Son  of  God  looked  deep- 
er, and  saw  in  the  approach  of  these  Greeks  the  first  coming  of 
the  Gentile  world ;  and  together  with  that  thought  came  also  the 
remembrance  of  the  condition  without  which  the  ingathering 
could  not  take  place,  that  condition  being  the  Redeemer's  own 
death.  For  the  Spirit,  we  read,  could  not  be  "  given  until  Jesus 
had  been  glorified;"  the  Divine  life  which  was  in  Jesus  could  not 
expand  itself  so  as  to  become  the  world's  life  till  the  shell  in 
which  it  was  contained  was  broken  down :  accordincc  to  His  own 


ExcVfiplificd  in  the  Death  of  Christ,  157 

simile,  the  corn  of  wheat  must  die  before  it  can  brino-  forth  fruit. 
Then  began  one  of  those  inward  struggles  of  the  Redeemer  of 
whicli  we  read  two  or  three  times ;  preludes,  as  it  v.ere,  to  the 
Garden  agony ;  the  idea  of  death  vividly  presented. 

And  now,  brethren,  we  will  endeavor  to  examine  this  in  a  real 
way.  We  are  about  to  enter  on  the  real  history  of  a  real  spirit. 
We  are  in  the  habit  of  shrinking  too  much  from  the  investigation 
of  the  mental  struggles  of  Jesus,  because  it  seems  as  if  it  were 
profanation  to  believe  that  the  laws  of  Ilis  mind  were  the  same 
as  those  of  ours.  But  in  this  we  commit  two  errors.  First,  by 
this  method  we  entirely  lose  the  notion  of  the  proper  humanity 
of  the  Saviour — a  humanity  which  did  not  consist  alone  in  having 
flesh  and  blood  like  ours,  but  in  this,  that  He  had  a  mind  gov- 
erned, like  our  own,  by  the  laws  of  association,  and  that  He  had 
a  heart  and  sympathies  which  throbbed  as  ours.  It  contains  also 
another  error,  that  it  is  a  false  conception  of  true  reverence.  It 
is  reverential  to  be  cautious  of  approaching  too  closely  the  secrets 
of  an  earthly  sovereign,  because  to  approach  too  near  would  only 
produce  familiarity,  and  make  us  feel  that  he,  like  ourselves,  is 
but  a  frail  and  sinful  man.  But  the  majesty  of  Jesus  requires 
no  precaution  like  this ;  it  requires  not  to  be  defended  by  earthly 
rules  of  distance.  The  nearer  we  approach  to  Him,  the  more  we 
track  His  thoughts  and  feelings,  the  more  we  feel  the  truth  of  His 
Divine  majesty.  Nay,  it  is  only  so  that  we  can  believe  in  Jesus 
as  the  Son  of  God ;  only  so  far  as  we  love  and  understand  the 
character  of  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  man  shall  we  be  able  to  feel,  and 
therefore  to  adore,  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God. 

We  divide  these  verses  into  two  branches : 

I.  The  law  of  the  atonement ;  and, 

n.  The  mental  struggles  through  which  that  law  was  accepted 
by  the  will  of  Christ. 

I.  In  the  law  of  the  atonement  the  first  thing  that  these  verses 
tell  us  is  the  gloriousness  of  suffering.  The  Saviour  does  not  say, 
*'  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  The  hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of  man 
should  die,"  but,  "  The  hour  is  come  in  which  the  Son  of  man 
should  be  glorified." 

There  are  two  ways  of  looking  at  every  act :  the  one  is  to  look 
at  the  appearance,  the  other  at  the  reality.  And  hence  it  comes 
to  pass  that  that  which  to  man  seems  m.ean  is  often  inwardly 


1 5  8  The  Lazv  of  Self-sacrifice 

glorious ;  and  that  which,  as  regards  external  circumstances,  is 
surrounded  with  glory,  in  the  sight  of  God  is  mean  and  miser- 
able. Let  us  take  an  instance  of  this  from  common  life :  the  sol- 
dier dies  a  ruffian's  death,  the  lineaments  of  humanity  crushed 
beneath  the  tramp  of  the  war-horse.  There  is  nothing  in  the  out- 
ward circumstances  of  his  death  to  distinguish  them  from  a  mere 
ignoble  brawl ;  but  over  the  soldier's  death  is  shed  the  glory  of 
that  cause  for  which  his  life  was  offered,  and  so  that  which 
seemed  outwardly  mean  becomes  a  glorious  death.  Precisely  in 
this  way,  only  in  a  far  higher  and  deeper  sense,  was  the  death  of 
the  Redeemer,  in  external  circumstances,  a  mean  thing,  but  in  in- 
ward principles  glorified  by  God.  In  outward  circumstances  most 
mean — dragged  and  driven  like  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter;  but 
through  the  long  vista  and  the  lapse  of  ages  all  the  meanness  of 
these  circumstances  has  disappeared,  and  now  we  behold  only  the 
Divine  love,  and  truth,  and  obedience  which  prompted  to  that 
death;  so  that  even  the  circumstances  themselves  become  glori- 
ous. The  very  cross,  which  was  associated  with  an  idea  no  more 
noble  than  that  which  is  now  connected  with  the  scaffold  and  the 
gallows,  has  become  lo  us  the  most  glorious  word  in  all  our  lan- 
guage. 

Now,  we  observe  that  that  which  in  the  sight  of  God  glorified 
the  death  of  Christ  was  not  the  outward  pomp  of  circumstance, 
for  of  this  there  was  none ;  but  it  was  the  spirit  of  that  death ; 
and  so  we  say  of  every  life  and  death,  that  it  is  not  the  outward 
circumstance,  but  the  inward  spirit,  which  makes  it  mean  or  glo- 
rious. According  to  our  common  human  way  of  speaking,  a 
throne  is  glorious  and  a  coronet  noble ;  but  there  is  nothing  that 
can  ennoble  cowardice  or  meanness  or  selfishness.  According  to 
our  mode  of  speaking,  the  dungeon  and  the  scaffold  and  the  lower 
arts  of  life  are  base  and  mean  ;  but  the  death  of  the  Redeemer 
has  sanctified  the  cross,  and  the  life  of  the  Redeemer  has  shed  a 
glory  over  the  trade  of  a  carpenter. 

The  second  thing  we  are  told  respecting  the  law  of  the  atone- 
ment is  that  it  is  part  of  the  same  great  law  upon  which  God  has 
constructed  the  universe — death  for  life,  the  death  of  one  for  the 
life  of  many.  The  instance  selected  by  our  Lord  is  that  of  a  corn 
of  wheat.  If  there  is  to  be  a  crop,  there  must  first  be  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  seed.  Now,  let  us  not  suppose  that  this  is  a  solitary 
instance  ;  it  is  one  case  out  of  many.     Go  where  vegetation  is  the 


Exemplified  in  the  Death  of  CJirist.  159 

rankest,  go  where  verdure  waves  the  thickest,  and  there  lies  be- 
neath decay  and  death  ;  but  out  of  the  destruction  that  lies  be- 
low has  been  deduced  the  glory  of  the  petals  of  the  flowers.  And 
not  only  so,  but  our  very  daily  and  hourly  life  is  supported  by 
death.  The  lives  of  vegetables  and  animals  are  given  involuntarily 
for  us.  We  stand  on  the  graves  of  the  ages  that  are  past.  Re- 
member, then,  we  rest  upon  a  fact;  we  do  not  seek  to  explain  the 
fact,  we  are  content  to  admit  it ;  but,  admitting  it,  we  have  no 
right  to  be  surprised  if  the  Bible  tells  us  of  another  correspond- 
ing with  it,  that  the  death  of  Christ  was  the  life  of  the  world. 

Observe,  therefore,  I  pray  you,  this  doctrine  of  the  atonement 
is  no  strange,  new,  arbitrary  principle ;  it  is  a  principle  existing  all 
around  us ;  it  is  not  unnatural,  but  most  natural.  The  world  of 
grace  corresponds  with  the  world  of  nature.  The  Father  who 
made  the  law  by  which  the  flesh  of  living  things  sustains  the  life 
of  others  is  the  very  same  Being  who  made  and  obeyed  the  law 
by  which  the  flesh  of  Christ  is  to  the  world  "  meat  indeed."  To 
enforce  this  law,  Christ  finds  a  parallel  for  the  principle  of  His 
own  sacrifice  in  the  destruction  of  a  corn  of  wheat. 

The  next  thing  that  we  remark  in  the  law  of  Christ's  atone- 
ment is  that  it  involves  the  condition  of  self-devotion.  The  way 
in  which  He  states  it  is  this :  "  He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose 
it,  and  he  that  loses  his  life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it."  There  is 
one  thing  that  must  have  struck  us  as  failing  in  the  parallel  we 
have  named.  We  do  not  thank  the  grain  of  wheat  for  dying,  be- 
cause its  death  is  involuntary ;  and  therefore,  in  order  to  consti- 
tute a  true  and  proper  sacrifice,  another  element  is  needed.  When 
that  which  exists  in  nature  by  a  mere  unconscious  law  or  by  a 
blind  instinct  is  accompanied  by  a  living  will  that  could  reject  it 
if  it  chose,  then  you  have  an  idea  of  proper  self-devotion.  And 
this  is  the  law  of  our  highest  life,  pronounced  by  Christ  to  be  also 
the  law  of  His  existence.  The  sacrifice  of  Christ  was  a  voluntary 
one,  else  had  it  been  no  sacrifice  at  all ;  therefore  we  read,  "  No 
man  taketh  My  life  from  Me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  Myself," 
"  Therefore  doth  My  Father  love  Me,  because  I  lay  down  My  life 
that  I  might  take  it  again."  The  death  of  Christ  is  the  world's 
life ;  the  flesh  of  Christ  was  given  to  be  meat  and  drink  spiritual- 
ly to  us.  This  is  the  fact ;  the  explanation  of  it  we  do  not  vent- 
ure to  give.  There  are  many  popular  explanations,  that  tell  of 
infinite  sin  demanding  infinite  sufferino;,  and  assert  that  the  death 


1 60  The  Lazv  of  Self -sacrifice. 

of  Christ  saved  the  world  because  it  was  punishment.  When  men 
speak  thus,  they  know  not  what  they  say ;  these  are  human  argu- 
ments which  are  not  written  in  the  Bible.  The  Bible  says  that 
the  death  of  Christ  saved  the  world  because  it  was  the  highest  in- 
stance of  that  law  which  makes  death  necessary  for  life,  and  "be- 
cause it  was  voluntary  self-sacrifice.  The  Bible  facts  about  the 
atonement  we  receive  with  all  our  heart  and  soul  and  mind  and 
strength. 

II.  Pass  we  on,  secondly,  to  consider  the  steps  of  the  mental 
struggle  by  which  the  law  of  the  universe  was  embraced  as  the  law 
of  the  Redeemer's  life.  For,  brethren,  it  is  one  thing  to  under- 
stand a  law,  and  another  to  obey  it.  There  is  no  truth  that  our 
young  men  have  to  learn  more  important  than  this,  that  to  admire 
that  which  is  right  is  one  thing,  but  to  do  what  is  right  is  another 
quite;  and  so  we  read  of  the  young  man  in  the  parable  who  said 
to  his  father,  "  I  go,  sir,  and  went  not."  Now,  the  Divine  life  of 
Christ  subordinated  innocent  human  desires  to  itself  by  degrees. 
Had  it  not  been  so.  His  w^ould  not  have  been  a  real  humanity ;  it 
would  have  been  an  emptying  Himself  of  all  human  feelings,  be- 
cause He  Avould  have  then  been  merely  Deity  in  human  shape. 
The  struggle  in  the  mind  of  Christ  is  expressed  in  these  words : 
"  Now  is  My  soul  troubled ;  and  what  shall  I  say  ?  Father,  save 
Me  from  this  hour:  but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour. 
Father,  glorify  Thy  name."  He  was  literally  distracted  between 
two  feelings — the  innocent  feeling,  the  natural  craving  after  life, 
and  the  higher  feeling  which  desired  to  embrace  the  will  of  God ; 
the  one  is  expressed  in  the  first  of  these  prayers,  "  Father,  save  Me 
from  this  hour ;"  the  other  in  this,  "  Father,  glorify  Thy  name." 

And  now  let  us  perceive  the  steps  through  which  this  victory 
was  won — it  was  through  the  efficacy  and  force  of  prayer.  Prayer 
is  by  no  means  a  mere  talisman  through  which  we  substitute  our 
will  for  that  of  God,  but  it  is  more  truly  that  communion  of  the 
mind  with  God  through  which  our  will  becomes  at  last  merged 
into  His  will.  If  there  is  any  condition  necessary  for  the  perfec- 
tion of  prayer,  it  was  that  of  this  prayer  of  Christ,  for  it  Avas  an 
innocent,  humble  prayer,  one  of  submission  and  of  faith — "  Fa- 
ther, save  Me  from  this  hour."  But  that  prayer  was  not  granted, 
if  to  grant  a  prayer  be  to  fulfil  the  longings  of  our  humanity ;  but 
it  was  answered  in  a  higher  sense,  for  by  degrees  the  wish  itself 


Pure  Religion,  i6i 

passed  away,  and  the  wisli  of  the  man  became  the  wish  of  God. 
And  so  thete  was  one  enth-e  perfect  will,  the  will  of  the  Father 
beino:  that  of  the  Son — "  Father,  glorify  Thy  name." 

nere,  then,  in  conclusion,  is  given  to  ns  the  one  perfect  speci- 
men of  a  true  battle  of  a  human  soul,  and  the  soul's  true  victory ; 
here  is  given  us  the  one  perfect  pattern  by  which  we  may  under- 
stand the  true  efficacy  of  prayer;  and  here  is  also  given  us  the 
true  sacrifice  of  personal  will,  the  sacrifice  of  "Him  who,  through 
the  Eternal  Spirit,  offered  Himself  without  spot  to  God."  This 
sacrifice  is  most  truly  expressed  in  the  Psalmist's  words,  "  Lo,  I 
come  to  do  Thy  will,  0  God."  That  is  the  one  atoning  sacrifice 
through  which  the  world's  life  comes;  and  that  becomes  our  life 
when  the  spirit  of  that  sacrifice  has  become  ours,  and  we  have 
learned  what  is  meant  by  the  apostle  when,  writing  to  the  Romans, 
he  beseeches  them  "  to  present  their  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  their  reasonable  service." 


XXIV. 

PURE   RELIGION". 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton,  Noveynher  2,  1851. 


"Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is.  this,  To  visit 
the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world." — James  i.  27. 

This  is  evidently  a  protest ;  pure  religion  in  opposition  to  im- 
pure or  corrupted  religion. 

There  were  perversions  of  the  Gospel  in  early  times,  such  as 
that  of  licentiousness,  of  which  we  spoke  last  Sunday.  In  St. 
James's  time  God's  sovereignty  was  corrupted  thus :  "  He  is  the 
Cause  of  everything,  therefore  of  sin.  Sin  is  His  plan  to  salva- 
tion. Sin,  therefore,  is  a  phantom,  a  nothing.  Don't  make  your- 
selves uneasy  about  it.  If  a  man's  person  is  accepted,  his  acts  do 
not  signify.  Christians  are  free  from  all  restraints  on  the  affec- 
tions of  the  heart."  This  was  evidently  the  doctrine  to  which  St. 
James  refers  when  he  says,  "  Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted, 
I  am  tempted  of  God ;  for  God  cannot  be  tempted  with  evil, 


1 62  Pure  Religion. 

neither  tempteth  lie  any  man."  Observe  how  arguments  are 
sought  for  sin :  it  honors  God ;  or  God  has  decreed*  it ;  or  our 
nature  is  weak ! 

Now,  St.  James's  answer  was  an  appeal  to  first  principles,  for 
this  doctrine  outrages  them :  "  Do  not  err,  my  beloved  brethren. 
Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh 
down  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness, 
neither  shadow  of  turning."  And  there  is  no  other  answer.  If 
you  choose  to  say,  "  I  am  fated,"  there  is  no  reply.  God  fore- 
knows it ;  it  will  be ;  therefore  it  must  be.  But  we  can  appeal 
to  conscience ;  and  every  healthy  conscience  says  there  is  a  flaw 
in  the  reasoning,  though  no  reason  can  show  you  where  the  flaw 
is.  I  appeal  to  those  principles  which  govern  common  life.  Make 
that  defence  before  a  judge.  If  you  make  it  insolently,  you  are 
condemned ;  if  in  earnest,  you  are  put  in  a  mad-house. 

So  in  religion.  And  remark,  whatever  encourages  sin  or  makes 
light  of  it  is  not  religion.  All  these  fine  boastings  about  being 
the  elect  of  God  are  vain : — "  If  any  man  among  you  seem  to  be 
religious,  and  bridleth  not  his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own  heart, 
this  man's  religion  is  vain.  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before 
God  and  the  Father  is  this :  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in 
their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world." 
St.  James  comes  down  to  the  practical. 

And  now  beware  of  tampering  with  that  difiiculty.  It  will  be 
a  snare  leading  to  ruin.  We  lay  the  blame  on  God;  we  say, 
"  Why  had  we  these  appetites  except  for  gratification  ?"  I  have 
a  firm  conviction  that  this  thought,  when  yielded  to,  treads  down 
all  distinction  between  right  and  wrong.  We  think  we  are  fated, 
and  we  charge  God  with  our  sins. 

Let  us  recur  to  the  deepest  feeling  of  the  heart,  which  says, 
*'  Good  is  from  God." 

St.  James  shows  us  religion  in  two  branches :  benevolence  and 
self-government. 

I.  "  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction." 
Here  is  Charity. 

II.  "  To  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world." 
Here  is  Purity. 

I.  Duty  of  Charity. 

1.  Its  first  principle  is  benevolence.     Now,  benevolence  is  always 


Pure  Religion.  163 

active.  I  lay  stress  on  the  word  "  visit."  Observe  the  necessity 
of  interpreting  Scripture  according  to  its  spirit,  and  not  its  letter. 
This,  in  the  letter,  would  be  impossible.  It  would  cut  oS  from 
religion  the  afflicted  and  the  young,  who,  from  want  of  experience, 
and  because  of  the  offensiveness  of  visiting,  could  not.  Besides, 
imagine  the  time  of  sadness  taken  up  in  condolences;  the  poor 
man's  house  made  a  public  receptacle  for  rich  folk  practising  be- 
nevolence. Therefore,  interpret  this  passage  in  its  spirit.  Go  to 
seek,  do  not  wait  till  affliction  offers  itself.  This  is  the  peculiar 
spirit  of  Christian  philanthropy.  It  is  illustrated  by  the  example 
of  the  S(£urs  de  Charlie,  of  Howard,  and  of  Ashley. 

The  time  is  coming  when  the  warrior's  wreath  will  be  seen  to  be 
blood-dabbled,  and  the  law-lord's  coronet  only  a  homage  to  talent. 
Real  bravery  is  active  goodness.  These  are  the  grander  walks. 
But  on  a  large  scale  or  a  small,  this  is  your  principle  :  "  Be  active 
in  good." 

2.  The  second  principle  of  charity  is  sympathy. 

"  Vidt ;"  do  not  relieve,  do  not  advise.  There  are  times  when 
relief  is  an  impertinence  and  advice  an  insult ;  times  when  press- 
ure of  the  hand  and  a  glistening  eye  are  more  eloquent  than  gold. 

Observe  the  exquisite  delicacy  of  Job's  friends :  *'  They  made 
an  appointment  together  to  come  to  mourn  with  him,  and  to  com- 
fort him.  .  .  .  They  sat  down  with  him  upon  the  ground  seven 
days  and  seven  nights,  and  none  spake  a  word  unto  him,  for  they 
saw  that  his  grief  was  very  great." 

Visit;  that  is,  acquaint  yourselves  with  suffering.  What  we 
want  is  more  symimthy.  Let  us  do  the  rich  of  this  country  jus- 
tice. They  are  not  oppressors,  hard,  exacting;  all  their  duty  is 
not  done,  but  they  do  much,  and  are  willing  to  do  more.  What, 
then,  do  we  want?  It  is  a  fatal  fact  that  the  rich  and  the  poor 
know  nothing  of  each  other.  Hence  such  things  as  "  pepper-wa- 
ter," advice  in  times  of  famine  on  the  one  side,  and  bitter  indig- 
nation on  the  other  side,  as  if  the  rich  were  mocking.  It  is  hard 
to  feel  with  people  when  we  are  not  in  the  same  circumstances. 
We  preach  temperance  when  we  neither  toil  nor  thirst ;  cleanli- 
ness when  we  know  not  what  it  is  to  return  jaded  to  a  home  in 
disorder;  frugality — have  we  ever  computed  a  laborer's  expenses? 
We  say  the  peasant  should  not  be  a  poacher  or  a  pilferer.  Why  ! 
is  the  rich  man  never  tried  for  theft  ?  Oh,  we  say,  sin  leads  to 
miserv.     Do  we  remember  misery  leads  to  sin  ? 


1 64  Pure  Religion, 

Now  this  is  sympathy.  To  feel  with  the  poor,  we  must  under- 
stand them  first.  Don't  think  it  always  necessary  to  go  with  your 
purse  or  your  advice.     *'  Visit"  as  a  friend. 

3.  The  third  principle  of  charity  is  condescension ;  "  Visit  the 
fatherless  and  the  widow." 

The  widows  and  the  fatherless  were  defenceless  in  Judea. 

Condescension  has  two  branches ;  considerateness  for  the  deso- 
late :  condescension  to  the  friendless. 

For  an  illustration  of  considerateness,  take  Christ's  example. 
He  is  found  by  invitation  in  the  rich  man's  house ;  lie  is  found 
by  choice  at  Bethlehem,  in  Bethesda,  at  Bethany.  Especially 
mark  Him  at  Simon's  house,  in  His  intercourse  with  the  desolate, 
degraded  one.  This  is  considerateness.  So  in  society.  Seek  not 
the  great.  See  the  awkward  one  in  the  corner,  the  man  of  no 
birth,  wealth,  or  pretensions — Christ  would  have  drawn  that  one 
out.  This  delicate  Christian  considerateness  is  to  be  shown  not 
merely  for  those  whose  misery  is  gross  and  palpable,  but  for  those 
who  suffer  in  a  more  subtle  form,  from  neglect. 

To  illustrate  condescension,  take  Christ  at  the  well  in  Samaria. 
Observe,  condescension  is  not  difficult  from  the  highest  to  the  low- 
est. The  rich  landlord  can  give  his  hand  to  his  tenantry  at  the 
annual  feast,  and  get  credit  for  it.  Condescension  flatters  our 
love  of  influence ;  we  stoop  from  a  height. 

But  condescension  is  difficult  between  those  with  whom  we  are 
in  constant  intercourse,  such  as  our  servants;  and  difficult  also 
with  those  who  are  in  a  grade  near  us.  Ancient  noblesse  is  shy 
of  parvenus ;  the  gentleman  of  the  tradesman ;  the  rich  tradesman 
of  the  second-rate.  Here,  then,  is  the  test.  If  you  have  the  spirit 
of  visiting  the  fatherless  and  the  widows,  you  would  stoop  to  those 
lower  than  yourself.  It  is  just  the  difficulty  that  was  between  the 
Jew  and  the  Samaritan.  The  Jew  could  afford  to  condescend  to 
the  Gentile,  for  the  law  separated  him  from  them.  But  when 
Christ  broke  through  the  wall  of  partition  between  the  Jew  and 
the  Samaritan,  it  was  genuine  condescension. 

And,  observe,  condescension  does  not  lower.  Mistake  not.  We 
draw  the  veil  of  mystery  and  etiquette  to  protect  ourselves.  Evil 
lowers,  and  vulgar  familiarity,  and  coarseness ;  but  not  condescen- 
sion. You  may  be  affable  and  yet  have  a  sacred  spell  of  dignity 
around  you  that  none  would  wish  to  break  through. 

AVas  the  Godhead  lowered  bv  condescension  ?     "  Wherefore 


Pure  Religion.  165 

God  also  liath  highly  exalted  Him,  and  given  Him  a  name  which 
is  above  every  name."  So  with  us.  Haughtiness  and  reserve 
leave  the  heart  barren.     Condescension  is  the  true  dignity  of 


II.  Duty  of  Purity:  "To  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the 
world." 

St.  James  specifies  a  distinct  form  of  evil,  the  world ;  not  other 
forms  of  evil. 

Let  me  define  what  the  world  is.  It  is  not  this  beautiful  world, 
which  weaves  for  God  the  living  garment  in  which  the  Invisible 
has  robed  His  mysterious  loveliness.  Drink  in  beauty  and  heaven 
as  much  as  you  will  from  that.  Yet  a  narrow  mind  has  some- 
times been  tormented  with  a  scruple  about  the  lawfulness  of  en- 
joying the  world,  even  in  this  sense. 

Nor,  again,  does  the  v/orld  mean  domestic  affections.  Let  us 
guard  against  a  common  mistake.  Men  tell  us  when  we  love  our 
children  they  will  be  taken  from  us.  Awful  picture  of  a  tyrant 
God !  When  we  weep,  they  bid  us  dry  our  tears ;  they  forget 
that  Jesus  wept.  We  love  little  enough ;  let  us  bring  in  no  cold, 
desolating,  stoical  theory  to  make  that  little  less.  Desecrate  not 
the  sacred  home  of  love  by  the  name  of  the  forbidden  world. 

The  world  that  spots  is  the  spirit  of  evil  around  us.  Wlier- 
ever  men  congregate  for  pleasure,  business,  or  amusement,  there  is 
evil.  It  belongs  to  the  town  rather  than  to  the  country ;  to  large 
societies  rather  than  to  small.  A  mixed,  strange,  many -headed 
monster  is  it.  It  is  like  the  miasma  of  a  marsh.  Each  single 
pleasure  is  harmless  in  itself  till  the  noxious  juices  are  drawn  out. 
It  differs  in  different  ages ;  persecuting  and  soft,  money-making, 
infidel  and  superstitious — a  torrent  which  we  must  stem. 

Observe,  distinct  effort  is  required  in  a  man  to  "keep  himself 
unspotted  from  the  world."  You  are  spottable;  the  world  can 
spot  you — "  keeiJ  "  yourself. 

Moreover,  we  may  not  decline  the  danger.  We  must  go  right 
through.  Christians  must  be  soldiers,  tradesmen,  citizens.  There 
can  be  no  luxurious  shutting  ourselves  up  with  our  devotional 
books.  The  snow-river  flows  through  the  lake  without  imbibing 
its  warmth.     AVe  must  transmute  the  evil. 

Out  of  the  innumerable  influences  of  that  multiform  evil  we  se- 
lect only  three. 


1 66  Pure  Religion, 

1.  The  world's  tainting  influence  upon  delicacy  of  heart. 

This  tendency  is  universal.  There  are  manufactories  where  the 
evil  and  the  well-disposed  mix  in  dangerous  proximity  for  hours 
together ;  bold  vice  and  modest  virtue.  Go  higher  still.  Enter 
gay  society ;  look  at  young  persons  at  the  end  of  two  seasons. 
Observe  the  influence  upon  them  of  newspapers,  novels,  and  con- 
versation in  producing  familiarity  with  evil.  They  have  tasted 
of  the  "  tree  of  knowledge,"  and  have  gained  knowingness.  Oh, 
the  degradation  and  agony  of  a  heart  which  feels  itself  naked ! 
When  the  drapery  is  torn  from  life,  Ave  know  what  lies  beneath. 

All  this  comes  from  the  world ;  not  from  your  own  heart  only, 
but  from  the  miasma  of  many  hearts.  In  a  marsh  each  single 
plant  is  harmless ;  the  festering,  noxious  juices  come  out  of  the 
many.  The  retired  life  is  safe ;  in  the  crowd  danger  straightway 
rises. 

This  is  the  natural  tendency,  unless  it  be  counteracted  by  the 
effort  here  spoken  of — "  Kee}:)  yourself  unspotted  from  the  world." 

2.  The  world's  power  to  make  artificial. 

Define  the  world  as  the  not-natural.  Picture  the  man  of  the 
world  seeming  to  be  what  he  is  not — a  well-bred  person  with  every 
emotion  under  control,  with  features  immovable.  We  are  as  sure 
of  meeting  consideration  from  him  as  if  he  were  influenced  by  the 
Gospel.  Yet  all  this  bland  courtesy  is  on  the  outside;  it  is  the 
smoothness  of  coin  caused  by  friction  in  the  purse.  The  edges, 
the  corners,  the  salient  points,  all  individuality  rubbed  away. 
This  species  of  worldliness  begins  early.  The  boy  at  school 
dares  not  speak  of  his  mother  and  sisters;  at  last  he  becomes 
brutalized  enougli  to  ridicule  his  home.  It  is  an  unnatural  con- 
trol, as  well  as  an  unnatural  affectation  of  feeling.  So  in  after- 
life. The  world  honors  riches ;  we  are  feverishly  afraid  of  being 
detected  in  poverty.  If  our  fortune  be  diminished,  we  adopt 
meanness  and  artifices  at  home,  that  we  may  seem  the  same 
abroad. 

The  world  honors  politeness ;  hence  compliments  and  flattery. 
Oh,  the  crushing  sense  of  degradation  that  comes  from  it ! 

The  world  honors  feeling ;  hence  sentimentality. 

The  Avorld  honors  high  birth ;  hence  the  attempt  to  seem  fa- 
miliar with  good  society. 

This  is  the  world.  Men  and  women  who  have  not  kept  them- 
selves unspotted  from  the  world  are  not  what  they  seem.    Hollow 


Pure  Religion,  167 

and  unreal,  their  afEectation  appears  everywhere  in  accent,  motion, 
and  sentiment. 

And,  do  what  we  will,  we  imbibe  this.  Dikes  intended  to  keep 
out  salt  water  still  admit  some.  The  precept  to  be  natural  makes 
us  unnatural ;  we  affect  nature. 

Now,  there  is  no  remedy  for  this  but  what  St.  James  gives. 
Firstly,  some  familiarity  with  suffering ;  and,  secondly,  intercourse 
with  God.  We  must  live  "before  God  the  Father;"  live  in  the 
splendors  of  the  next  world  till  this  world  is  dim.  The  man  liv- 
ing in  sunshine  is  not  dazzled  by  the  oil-lamp.  One  who  hears  in 
his  inmost  soul  the  harmonies  of  everlasting  harps  will  not  mis- 
take the  discord  of  this  world  for  music.  One  looking  out  for 
death  and  judgment  to  come  will  not  heed  the  judgments  of  this 
world.  Feel  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come ;  that  is  the  secret 
of  keeping  one's  self  unspotted  from  this  world. 

3.  The  power  of  the  world  to  destroy  feeling. 

It  is  a  common  expression  to  speak  of  the  heartlessness  of  the 
world.  Let  us  trace  the  history  of  the  decay  of  feeling.  We 
passionately  crave  a  more  lively  life.  Life  generally  is  a  dull,  veg- 
etating existence.  There  are  times  when  we  get  out  of  this; 
when  the  blood  runs  fast,  and  thoughts  and  imaginations  crowd 
and  hurry  and  precipitate,  as  if  we  had  gigantic  energy.  It  is  the 
deliMitfulness  of  animal  exhilaration.  There  are  the  different  ex- 
citements  of  conversation,  society,  music,  or  of  the  stimulant  of 
wine ;  all  those  things  which  the  world  offers ;  "  all  that  is  in  the 
world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride 
of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world."  There  is  the 
craving  of  the  drunkard.  Life  would  be  robbed  of  its  exhilara- 
tion, so  he  cannot  give  up  drink.  Now,  this  is  the  consequence : 
unsettlement  and  deadening  of  feelings. 

So  in  the  body.  In  the  tropics  man  is  matured  early  and  decays 
early.    He  is  old  at  thirty  ;  the  sensations  of  life  are  all  felt  early. 

Similarly  in  the  heart.  Early  maturity  of  feeling  is  premature 
decay  of  heart.  Existence  does  not  depend  on  time.  One  man 
at  twenty-five  has  lived  longer  than  another  at  fifty. 

Observe,  all  God's  pleasures  are  simple  ones ;  health,  the  rapture 
of  a  May  morning,  sunshine,  the  stream  blue  and  green,  kind 
words,  benevolent  acts,  the  glow  of  good-humor.  It  is  the  time 
when  you  need  nothing  stronger  than  bread  and  water  to  be  in- 
toxicated with  happiness. 


1 68  Pure  Religion. 

But  look  at  other  excitements.  The  great  calm  presence  and 
beauty  of  creation  does  not  come  forth  to  the  sorceries  of  artifi- 
cial excitement.  Stimulate  the  jaded  senses  with  town  life,  and 
then  there  is  no  radiant  wisdom  left  in  the  simplicities  of  life. 

This  is  the  lesson  we  press  upon  the  young.  Keep  unspotted 
from  the  world.  The  keenness  of  wonder  is  by  degrees  lost  early, 
and  is  followed  by  exhaustion  of  feeling ;  and  men  become  hlase 
of  life. 

Oh  that  the  young  would  learn  from  the  experience  of  those 
who  know  it.  Remember  Solomon's  state.  Is  there  anything 
whereof  it  may  be  said,  "See,  this  is  new?"  Ye  that  live  in 
pleasure,  to  this  you  are  coming ! 

There  are  peculiar  features  in  the  present  time.  The  world  is 
moving  fast,  and  we  with  it.  There  are  a  multiplicity  of  pleas- 
ures ;  a  cheapness  in  their  purchase,  and  change  in  their  variety. 
Thousands  see  foreign  lands  now.  There  are  the  excitements  of 
railways,  speculation,  and  literature.  These  produce  exhaustion 
of  feeling  and  of  interest.  Compare  the  patriarchal  times,  and  we 
find  the  man  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  had  not  lived  so  much  as 
the  man  of  forty  now.  Let  Christians,  therefore,  be  on  their 
guard.  They  have  need  of  calmness.  They  have  the  power  of 
the  Gospel  and  duty  to  soothe  them.  Remember  the  Cana  feast. 
Would  you  have  your  best  last?  Avoid  stimulus;  live  plainly. 
You  will  drink  the  rich  body  of  heavenly  wine,  and  feel  the  re- 
freshment of  its  sacred  joy. 

And  now  a  word  of  application. 

St.  James  gives  a  distinct  view  of  religion.  It  is  practical  char- 
ity and  purity.  God's  sovereignty  and  eternity  are  nothing  with- 
out this.    You  are  no  favorite  of  Heaven  to  be  exempt. 

And,  observe,  both  charity  and  purity  are  joined  together,  not 
kept  separate.  There  is  a  difiiculty  in  their  union ;  but  observ- 
ance of  the  one  cannot  excuse  neglect  of  the  other. 

The  active  must  be  worldly. 

The  strict,  pure,  quiet,  dreamy,  must  be  active. 

External  benevolence  and  inward  purity  go  hand  in  hand. 


21ie  Progress  of  Revelation,  169 


XXV. 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  REVELATION. 

(1.) 

Brighton^  Advent  Sunday,  November  30,  1851. 

*' Of  which  salvation  the  prophets  have  inquired  and  searched  diligently, 
who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should  come  unto  you  :  searching  what,  or 
what  manner  of  time  the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify,  when 
it  testified  beforehand  the  suflt'erings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should  fol- 
low. Unto  whom  it  was  revealed,  that  not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  us  they 
did  minister  the  things  which  are  now  reported  unto  you  by  them  that  have 
preached  the  gospel  unto  you,  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven  ; 
which  things  the  angels  desire  to  look  into.  Wherefore  gird  up  the  loins  of 
your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end."' — 1  Pet.  i.  10-13. 

It  is  plain  that  the  Apostle  Peter  in  these  verses  speaks  of  two 
epochs  of  God's  revelation  to  the  world — one  that  has  been,  anoth- 
er that  is  to  be.  The  prophets,  he  tells  us,  of  the  elder  dispensa- 
tion dimly  and  indistinctly  foresaw  a  coming  day,  a  day  of  glory, 
preceded  by  human  suffering.  Similarly  St.  Peter  announced  the 
approach  of  another  day  of  grace  and  glory,  far  more  blessed  and 
glorious  than  any  that  earth  had  yet  seen.  The  anticipations  of 
the  first  were  realized  in  that  which  is  called  the  first  coming  of 
the  Redeemer ;  the  anticipations  of  the  second  dispensation  shall 
yet  be  realized  in  what  we  call  the  glories  of  His  second  advent. 
We  are  led,  from  the  text,  to  assume  an  analogy  between  the  two 
dispensations :  the  first  did  not  come  without  expectation ;  and, 
according  to  analogy,  we  are  entitled  to  expect  that  neither  shall 
the  second  come  on  us  without  anticipations  of  its  approach.  It 
is  with  this  as  with  the  dawning  of  the  natural  day ;  you  see  not  the 
landscape  in  its  detail,  but  yet  the  general  outline  of  the  whole  is 
visible,  though  it  is  in  part  dim  and  indistinct. 

Our  subject,  then,  this  morning  is  an  extremely  large  one,  so 
far  as  it  can  be  contained  or  sketched  in  the  limits  of  a  single 
sermon  ;  it  is  no  other  than  this — God's  plan  in  His  revelations  to 
the  world.    It  divides  itself  into  these  two  branches : 

8 


170  The  Progress  of  Revelation, 

I.  The  mode  of  that  dispensation  Avlncli  was  imperfect  and  is 
past. 

II.  The  dispensation  of  that  revelation  which  is  yet  to  come. 

I.  First,  then,  we  remark  that  the  former  dispensation  was 
based  on  a  system  of  mediation.  Putting  aside  all  theological 
terms,  let  us  endeavor  to  understand  this.  A  mediator  is  simply 
one  who  acts  between  two  parties  as  a  medium  ;  a  mediator  is  one 
who  through  things  visible  conveys  instruction  on  things  that 
otherwise  would  be  misunderstood.  Now,  God's  revelation  to 
man  is  mediatorial ;  it  could  be  none  otherwise.  Human  naturo 
being  as  it  is,  God  could  not,  or,  to  speak  more  reverently,  God 
did  not,  reveal  Himself  singly  to  each  individual.  But  His  plan 
was  this :  He  took  a  single  nation,  that  through  that  nation  He 
might  reveal  Himself  to  the  world — a  nation  that  of  all  others 
was  at  the  outset  the  rudest  and  the  coarsest,  for  God  would  be- 
gin from  the  very  beginning;  and  one  of  the  objects  in  so  train- 
ing that  nation  was  that  out  of  it  the  choicest  spirits  might  be 
formed,  becoming  the  teachers,  first  of  the  Jewish  nation,  and 
through  them  of  the  world :  it  is  these  men  whom  St.  Peter  calls 
the  prophets. 

And,  now,  before  proceeding  further,  let  us  endeavor  to  gain  a 
distinct  notion  of  what  we  mean  by  inspiration.  An  inspired  man 
is  a  higher  kind  of  man ;  he  is  one  whose  aspirations  are  more 
generous,  more  unselfish,  more  pure,  than  those  of  ordinary  hu- 
manity. The  difference  between  him  and  common  men  is  this: 
that  of  the  twofold  nature  in  which  we  all  participate,  the  fleshly 
and  the  spiritual,  the  lower  predominates  in  others,  but  in  him 
the  higher,  the  heavenly  and  the  spiritual.  AVhat  they  felt  feebly, 
almost  unconsciously,  he  felt  mightily  and  consciously. 

Now,  let  us  take  a  few  instances  in  which  this  marvellous  con- 
trast between  inspired  and  uninspired  men  is  shown.  When  the 
whole  nation  of  Israel  were  content  to  remain  in  bondage,  if  they 
might  only  have  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  the  voice  of  God  came 
to  one  among  them  telling  him  that  the  life  of  freedom,  even 
thougli  the  way  to  gain  it  lay  through  the  wilderness,  was  so  im- 
measurably superior  to  every  other  life  that  no  sacrifice  could  be 
too  great  to  secure  it.  Again,  when  the  people  trembled  at  the 
blaze  of  the  lightning  from  Mount  Sinai,  and  feared  when  they 
heard  the  trumpet  voice  of  thunder,  among  them  there  was  one 


The  Progress  of  Revelation.  lyi 

heart  which  desired  to  see  God  face  to  face,  and  to  gaze  undazzled 
on  His  intolerable  splendor.  When  the  pleasure-loving  crowd  sat 
down  to  eat  and  to  drink,  Moses  came  down  from  the  mount 
where  he  had  been  with  God,  struggling  and  WTCstling  for  Duty 
and  Right  and  Law ;  and  when  he  saw  what  they  w^ere,  and  felt 
how  immeasurably  his  aims  were  above  theirs,  and  how  hopeless 
the  distance,  the  prophet  dashed  the  tables  to  the  ground.  Take 
another  instance  from  the  ease  of  an  inspired  warrior.  When 
Nahash  the  Ammonite  offered  pe"ace  to  the  besieged  inhabitants 
of  Jabesh-Gilead,  it  was  on  terms  of  obloquy  and  disgrace.  They 
asked  a  respite  of  seven  days,  in  which  they  might  send  the  mes- 
sage to  all  the  coasts  of  Israel ;  the  craven  people,  when  they 
heard  the  message,  lifted  up  their  voices  and  wept.  But  there  was 
one  heart  in  Israel  which  looked  for  better  things  for  God's  na- 
tion :  when  Saul  heard  it,  the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon  him,  and 
he  sent  back  this  message  to  the  men  of  Jabesh,  "  To-morrow  by 
that  time  the  sun  be  hot  ye  shall  have  help."  And  when  the 
morrow  came  and  the  inhabitants  looked  out,  suddenly  beneath 
the  walls  of  Jabesh-Gilead  the  battle-cry  of  Saul  was  heard,  and 
the  rays  of  that  sun  were  flashed  back  by  the  swords  of  the  thou- 
sands that  he  had  brought,  burning  to  avenge  their  country's 
wTongs,  led  on  by  one  noble  inspired  heart.  This,  brethren,  is 
what  the  Bible  calls  inspiration.  There  are  different  kinds  of  in- 
spiration— that  of  the  lawgiver,  as  Moses ;  that  of  the  artisan,  as 
Bezaleel  and  Aholiab ;  that  of  the  warrior,  as  Saul  and  Gideon 
and  Barak,  men  who  delivered  their  country,  not  by  brute  courage, 
but  by  inspired  valor.  Lastly,  there  was  that  of  the  prophets, 
whose  office  was  not  so  much  to  predict  future  events  as  to  inter- 
pret the  present.  They  did  not  read  the  fate  and  fortunes  of  em- 
pires as  mere  soothsayers,  but  it  was  given  to  them,  w4th  burning 
hearts,  to  reach  grand  first  principles  which  are  true  to-day  and 
forever.  They  were  partakers  of  the  larger  humanity  of  Christ, 
just  as  the  Apostle  Peter  here  says,  "  They  were  searching  what, 
or  what  manner  of  time,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  w^as  in  them 
did  signify." 

Now,  the  means  whereby  they  arrived  at  that  perfect  knowledge 
of  the  future  were  twofold :  first,  the  materials  of  the  revelation 
that  had  been  already  given  to  them  were  with  others  as  well 
as  with  them;  the  difference  lay  in  the  spirit  that  was  within 
them.     Let  us  look  at  their  materials;  manifestly  they  were  the 


1/2  The  Progress  of  Revelation, 

Jewish  Scriptures.  God's  revelation  to  the  world  is  God's  educa- 
tion, for  "  what  revelation  is  to  the  race,  that  education  is  to  the 
individual."  A  revelation  begins,  as  education  does,  with  the  first 
elementary  principles.  The  elementary  principles  taught  directly 
to  the  Jewish  nation  were  few ;  the  direct  truths  might  almost  be 
compressed  into  these — the  unity  of  God,  the  holiness  of  God,  the 
blessedness  of  doing  good,  and  the  misery  of  doing  wrong.  It 
was  long  before  lessons  as  simple  even  as  these  were  learned. 
How  long  w^as  Israel  in  learning  the  unity  of  God !  how  many 
times  is  it  repeated,  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one 
Lord !"  Though  the  power  of  God  was  so  plainly  shown  to  be 
superior  to  that  of  the  Egyptian  gods,  yet  still  idolatry  continued 
in  Israel  for  long  years,  and  it  was  not  till  after  the  Babylonish 
captivity  that  they  were  entirely  weaned  from  it.  This  will  show 
us  why  other  truths  were  not  taught,  for  so  childlike  a  nation  was 
as  yet  unable  to  bear  them. 

Immortality  was  but  indirectly  taught  to  Israel.  I  say  not  that 
in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  immortality  is  not  named,  but  in 
the  primitive  revelation  of  the  five  boohs  of  Moses  it  is  not  direct- 
ly spoken  of ;  for  all  the  system  of  Moses  rested  on  temporary  re- 
wards and  punishments :  if  they  were  obedient,  they  were  to  eat 
the  fruit  of  the  land  into  which  they  were  led  ;  if  disobedient,  the 
nations  among  whom  they  dwelt  were  to  be  pricks  in  their  eyes 
and  thorns  in  their  sides.  Contrast  the  two  revelations.  St.  Paul 
says,  "To  them  who  by  patient  continuance  in  well-doing  seek 
for  glory  and  honor  and  immortality,  the  reward  shall  be  eternal 
life ;"  Moses  says,  "  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  and  thy 
days  shall  be  long  in  the  land."  Yet  though  not  directly  taught, 
it  was  taught  indirectly.  Just  as  in  the  elementary  book  of  the 
child  the  higher  truths  are  neither  shut  out  nor  distinctly  told,  but 
are  implied,  so  it  is  with  God's  revelation.  In  the  Book  of  Gene- 
sis we  find  it  written  that  man  was  made  of  the  dust  of  the  earth ; 
and  God  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life :  not  one 
word  here  of  immortality.  Now  consider  how  a  pious  Jew  must 
have  reasoned  on  this  when  he  stood  by  the  grave  of  some  beloved 
one ;  would  not  this  have  been  his  inward  reasoning  ?  Dust  to 
dust,  yes,  but  the  breath  of  God  breathed  into  his  nostrils,  what  has 
become  of  that?  I  give  to  you  now  the  actual  reasoning  of  an 
inspired  man  on  this  subject.  In  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  we  find 
Solomon  saying,  "  The  dust  shall  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was, 


TJic  Progress  of  Revelation,  173 

and  the  spirit  shall  return  to  God  who  gave  it."  Again,  when 
God  spake  to  Moses  in  the  bush,  He  said,  "  I  am  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob."  That  was  not  to  teach  immortality ; 
the  direct  object  of  it  was  to  encourage  Moses  in  his  mission  to 
Pharaoh  with  the  assurance  that  the  God  of  his  forefathers  would 
be  with  him.  Nevertheless,  consider  once  more  how  an  earnest 
and  religious  heart  would  reason  on  that :  God  is  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob.  AVhere  then  are  they  ?  Are  they  no  longer 
in  existence?  Is  this  the  God  of  love?  Can  annihilation  be  His 
reward  to  those  who  have  served  Him  best  ?  Does  He  say  to  His 
most  faithful  servants,  "  Return  to  the  nothingness  from  which 
you  came?"  Our  hearts  demand  it  of  us  that  an  immortality 
there  must  be.  And  this  was  precisely  the  mode  of  reasoning  our 
Lord  used  when  asked  by  the  Sadducees  concerning  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead.  He  produced  no  direct  testimony  to  immortal- 
ity, because  there  was  none  found  in  the  writings  of  Moses.  The 
proof  he  produced  was  an  indirect  one,  even  this,  that  God  is  the 
God  of  the  living,  not  of  the  dead.  And  when,  brethren,  you  add 
to  this  the  many  other  passages  in  which  the  same  thing  was  im- 
plied, passages  such  as  that  common  formula  by  which  death  was 
described  when  it  was  said  that  a  man  was  "  gathered  to  his  fa- 
thers," passages  by  which  the  Jew  was  forced  to  live  out  of  the 
present  and  for  the  future,  and  to  familiarize  himself  with  that 
which  was  to  come,  it  will  then  become  evident  to  us  that  through 
all  the  system  God  was  preparing  the  highest  minds  by  hints,  and 
by  imperfect  expressions,  for  that  revelation,  in  after-ages  to  be 
made  manifest,  when  life  and  immortality  should  come  to  light 
through  the  Gospel.  These  were  the  materials  on  which  the  im- 
aginations of  the  prophets  had  to  work. 

There  was,  however,  another  source  from  which  they  derived 
their  knowledge,  that  which  St.  Peter  calls  "  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
which  was  in  them,"  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  and  these  Scriptures 
interpreted  by  spiritual  hearts. 

"The  Spirit  of  Christ"  is,  in  other  words,  the  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  ;  for,  just  in  proportion  as  a  man  is  great  and  good  is 
that  spirit  strong  in  his  soul.  The  measure  of  a  man's  goodness 
is  the  measure  of  his  self-devotion.  These  men  turned  to  the 
Jewish  Scriptures,  and  found  there  the  principles  of  Jewish  sacri- 
fice, the  external^  of  which  differed  not  much  from  those  of  heathen 
sacrifice,  for  the  gross  Jew  had  probably  much  the  same  notion  as 


1 74  The  Progress  of  Revelation. 

the  heathen  concerning  it ;  he  felt  that  God  was  angry,  and  con- 
gratulated himself  that  another  had  felt  the  pain  of  punishment 
instead  of  him.  To  the  prophets  it  was  not  so,  fot  it  gave  them 
a  desire  to  dedicate  themselves  to  God.  And  so,  when  we  turn  to 
the  Psalms  or  the  Prophets,  we  find  passages  with  which  we  are 
familiar,  and  in  which  they  speak  indignantly  of  mere  sacrifice : 
"Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice,  else  would  I  give  it  Thee;  Thou  de- 
lightest  not  in  burnt-offerings."  "The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a 
broken  spirit ;  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart  Thou  wilt  not  despise." 
And,  again,  "  Sacrifice  and  offerings  Thou  wouldest  not,  but  a 
body  hast  Thou  prepared  me."  Thus  the  deep  desire  of  the  soul 
was  replied  to  and  expressed  by  the  faithful  in  the  Jewish  sacrifices. 

II.  We  now  pass  on,  secondly,  to  consider  the  dispensation  of 
the  day  of  grace  and  glory  which  is  yet  to  come. 

Now,  first,  brethren,  I  have  to  observe,  as  before  so  now,  that 
God's  plan  of  revelation"  is  partly  by  truths  direct,  partly  by  truths 
indirect.  The  direct  truths  of  the  Christian  revelation  are  those 
which  in  the  Jewish  were  indirect ;  for  instance,  immortality  and 
self-devotion.  But  there  are  indirect  truths  also,  which  in  the 
fulness  of  time  shall  be  revealed  hereafter.  Take  the  testimony 
of  our  Blessed  Lord  :  "  I  have  many  things  to  say,  but  ye  cannot 
bear  them  now."  Consider  the  testimony  of  Moses :  "  A  prophet 
shall  the  Lord  raise  up  unto  you  like  unto  me."  Christ  is  spoken 
of  as  a  prophet,  but  in  what  sense,  if  not  as  preparatory  to  a 
greater  revelation  ?  Again,  the  text  says,  "  Be  sober,  and  hope  to 
the  end."  In  other  words,  it  is  that  which  it  is  our  business  to 
celebrate  to-day — our  anticipation  of  the  glory  of  the  revelation 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

Now,  let  us  take  an  instance  of  these  truths.  The  first  we  give 
is  one  which  in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity  was  indirect,  but  has 
become  direct  now ;  it  is  the  doctrine  of  the  admission  of  the 
Gentiles ;  not  distinctly  taught  by  Christ,  but  taught  by  implica- 
tion, for  it  was  long  before  the  apostles  themselves  perceived  that 
it  followed  from  the  doctrine  He  had  taught.  In  process  of  time 
it  was  admitted,  with  reluctance,  by  the  Apostle  Peter ;  but  it  did 
not  become  a  direct  truth  until  proclaimed  in  all  its  breadth  and 
fulness  by  St.  Paul — "  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  circumci- 
sion nor  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  or  free,  but 
Christ  is  all  and  in  all." 


The  Progress  of  Revelation.  175 

Next,  we  come  to  a  subject  more  delicate,  the  consideration  of 
some  of  those  truths  which  are  to  be  revealed  hereafter,  and  of 
which  we  have  now  only  a  dim  foreshadowing.  Out  of  the  in- 
numerable thoughts  that  here  crowd  upon  us,  I  have  selected  but 
three.  First,  there  is  given  us  in  the  Scripture  this  hint,  "  One  is 
your  master,  even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  That,  we  dare 
to  say,  has  not  in  almost  any  sense  or  form  yet  been  realized  in  a 
world  where  power  and  wealth  produce  hatred  instead  of  love, 
and  the  religion  of  Christ  is  a  sword  instead  of  peace.  But  is 
there,  to  an  earnest  and  a  loving  heart,  no  pregnant  intimation  of 
a  human  brotherhood  yet  to  come,  more  deep,  more  broad,  and 
far  more  spiritual  than  has  ever  yet  been  exhibited  in  this  world  ? 

Again,  in  the  history  of  the  early  Church  we  find  that  "  no 
man  said  that  aught  that  he  possessed  was  his  own."  On  these 
words  the  wildest  schemes  of  socialism  have  been  founded ;  but 
is  there  here  no  hint,  no  intimation,  of  a  system  far  more  generous 
than  any  we  have  yet  conceived  ?  Does  it  not  tell  of  a  mode  of 
life  higher  far  than  our  present  system  of  rivalry  and  competi- 
tion? 

Take  one  hint  more.  In  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel  we  read 
this  declaration  to  Mary :  "  Hail !  thou  that  art  highly  favored, 
the  Lord  is  with  thee ;  blessed  art  thou  among  women."  Upon 
that  hint  the  Romanist  has  elaborated  Mariolatry — the  worship  of 
one  single  woman.  There  are  many  among  us  who  can  sneer  at 
Mariolatry,  but  it  is  not  from  the  sneerer  that  the  deepest  truths 
are  learned.  Instead  of  sneering,  let  us  look  at  the  truth  so  miser- 
ably caricatured  by  Rome.  Out  of  these  pregnant  words,  the 
blessing  of  the  Virgin,  is  there  no  hint  given  ?  Remember  these 
were  new  words  in  this  world  of  ours.  The  masculine  qualities, 
courage,  wisdom,  strength,  had  been  revealed,  but  now  was  given 
to  the  world  a  representation  of  the  divine  character  of  purity, 
modesty,  and  self-devotion ;  are  there  in  these  words  no  antici- 
pations to  give  the  Christian  heart  a  hope  of  a  coming  day  when 
woman  shall  yet  be  what  her  Creator  designed  she  should  be- 
come ? 

Now,  let  ns  close  this  subject  with  the  two  practical  pieces  of 
advice  that  the  Apostle  Peter  gives :  "  Be  sober,  and  hope  to  the 
end."    First,  a  lesson  of  hopefulness,  then  of  sobriety. 

There  are  dark  views  held  by  many  respecting  the  future  of  the 


I  ^6  The  Progress  of  Revelation. 

race.  Men  talk  gloomily  of  a  flood  of  Romanism  and  Rational- 
ism ;  but  the  only  question  we  ask  is  tins,  whether  God  is  guiding 
the  race  or  not.  If  He  guide  it,  then  it  is  on  its  way  to  good, 
and  not  to  evil.  The  Apostle  Peter,  in  the  midst  of  persecution, 
encourages  the  disciples  with  these  views  and  with  strong  faith  in 
God.  Let  men  sneer,  call  these  dreams,  ask  for  something  prac- 
tical— it  is  good  to  get  away  into  God's  future  from  our  own  self- 
ish interests  and  hopes.  This,  then,  is  the  remedy  for  all  our 
fears  for  the  future,  to  trust  with  unwavering  faith  in  the  God 
who  guides  the  destiny  of  our  humanity. 

The  other  lesson  impressed  on  his  converts  by  the  Apostle  Peter 
was  sobriety :  "  Be  sober."  For  be  assured  that  we  know  little 
except  in  outline  of  that  which  shall  be  hereafter.  The  tree  of 
our  humanity  has  blossomed  once,  but  the  fruit  is  yet  to  come ;  it 
is  not  for  us  to  anticipate  and  prematurely  grasp  that  fruit — it 
will  ripen  in  God's  good  time. 

Hints  are  given  for  us  to  ponder  on  theni,  and  to  hope  in  God, 
not  to  scheme  and  rave. 

"God  is  His  own  interpreter, 
And  lie  will  make  it  plain." 


XXVI. 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  REVELATION. 

(2.) 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton,  Advent,  December  7,  1851. 

"Wherefore  the  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ,  that  we 
might  be  justified  by  faith."— Gal  iii.  24. 

It  may  be  well  to  follow  out  the  subject  of  last  Sunday. 

The  principle  laid  down  last  Sunday  was  that  the  plan  of  God's 
revelation  to  the  world  has  been  to  teach  some  truths  directly ; 
others  indirectly,  by  implications,  hints,  allusions.  So  that  the 
indirect  truths  of  one  dispensation  become  the  direct  truths  of  the 
next.  For  instance,  immortality  and  self-sacrifice,  which  were  the 
indirect  truths  of  Judaism,  are  now  the  direct  truths  of  Christianity. 

The  services  of  the  day  seem  to  invite  us  to  examine  this  sub- 


TJie  Progress  of  Revelation.  i  J'j 

ject  further.  In  the  Collect  we  pray  that  "  we  may  in  such  wise 
read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that 
by  patience,  and  comfort  of  Thy  Holy  Word,  we  may  embrace 
and  ever  hold  fast  the  blessed  hope  of  everlasting  life,  which  Thou 
hast  given  us  in  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  And,  again,  in  the 
epistle  we  read,  "  Whatever  things  were  written  aforetime  were 
written  for  our  learning,  that  we,  through  patience,  and  comfort 
of  the  Scriptures,  might  have  hope."  Therefore,  the  subject  of- 
fered for  our  contemplation  by  the  Church  is  the  Holy  Scriptures 
as  furnishing  a  guide,  a  hope,  a  consolation  preparatory  to  Christ's 
second  advent.  This  seems  the  leading  thought  which  regulated 
the  selection  of  the  services  of  the  day. 

The  Epistles  to  Timothy,  the  last  Paul  wrote,  are  of  a  darker 
shade  of  thought  than  his  earlier  ones.  He  sees  perilous  times 
coming,  for  the  grace  and  love  of  Christianity  would  be  received 
by  men  of  undisciplined  hearts.  It  became  evident  that  the  Ad- 
vent was  not  near,  but  far  off,  and  that  the  conflict  between  good 
and  evil  would  go  on  for  a  long  time.  And  yet  in  the  midst  of 
all  this  there  is  one  ground  for  consolation.  St.  Paul  is  assured 
that  Timothy  would  struggle  against  the  evil  in  his  day ;  and  this 
because  he  had  from  a  child  known  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which 
were  able  to  make  him  wise  unto  salvation :  knowing  the  truth, 
he  would  be  resolute  in  contending  for  it. 

The  objection  raised  by  the  Jews  against  Christianity  was  that 
it  contradicted  the  earlier  revelation.  And,  in  truth,  there  was 
much  to  favor  this  objection.  For,  in  the  first  place,  Judaism  de- 
clared the  Jews  to  be  God's  chosen  people ;  whereas  Christianity 
entered  into  the  world  proclaiming  God  to  be  the  universal  Fa- 
ther. And  even  Christ's  teaching  seemed  to  corroborate  this 
view  :  "  Ye  have  heard  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time  " — that  is, 
by  Moses — "  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth ;  but  I 
say  unto  you  that  ye  resist  not  evil,  but  whosoever  shall  smite 
thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  bim  the  other  also." 

St.  Paul  replies  to  such  an  objection  in  the  text.  The  reply 
amounts  to  this :  The  human  race  had  been  under  a  system  of 
education,  and  the  spirit  of  Christianity  was  not  more  contradic- 
tory to  that  of  Judaism  than  the  duties,  the  treatment,  and  the 
education  of  a  man  are  contradictory  to  those  of  a  child :  "  The 
law  is  our  schoolmaster."  This,  then,  is  our  subject,  God's  prep- 
aration of  the  world  for  the  first  advent  of  the  Redeemer. 

8* 


178  The  Progress  of  Revelation. 

We  divide  it  into  two  branches  on  the  present  occasion.  The 
law  is  our  schoohiiaster — 

I.  As  giving  precepts  in  which  principles  were  involved,  but 
not  expressly  taught. 

II.  As  teaching  inadequate  and  not  perfect  duties. 

I.  The  law  gives  precepts,  not  principles. 

Every  wise  teacher  begins  so.  He  gives  rules,  not  principles. 
And  the  first  duty  of  the  pupil  is  blind  obedience.  At  length, 
when  the  pupil  discerns  the  principle,  he  may  dispense  with  the 
rule  or  not,  as  he  pleases. 

Of  the  mode  of  teaching  in  the  Jewish  law  the  first  instance  we 
select  is  the  second  commandment.  It  runs  thus:  "Thou  shalt 
not  make  to  thyself  any  graven  image,  nor  the  likeness  of  any- 
thing that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  in  the 
water  under  the  earth.  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  to  them,  nor 
worship  them." 

According  to  this  law,  the  Israelite  was  not  only  not  to  worship 
a  graven  image,  but  not  even  to  make  one.  The  possession  of  an 
imao-e  or  a  statue  was  unlawful.  Those  adornments  of  our  houses 
and  cities,  which  we  freely  use,  were  forbidden  him.  Yet  we  all 
know  it  was  not  this,  but  idolatry,  which  the  law  was  intended  to 
forbid.  The  spirit  of  the  second  commandment  is  the  prohibi- 
tion of  idolatry ;  the  letter  is,  thou  shalt  not  make  a  graven  im- 
age. 

Idolatry  is  the  worship  of  anything  as  the  Highest  which  is 
not  the  highest — the  admission  of  any  conception  of  God  which 
is  either  false  or  else  unnecessarily  inadequate.  For  example,  to 
worship  God  as  cruel  would  be  idolatry,  because  false.  Such  is  the 
worship  of  Juggernaut.  To  worship  God  as  the  mere  source  of 
life  is  idolatry,  because  it  conveys  an  inadequate  idea  of  God. 
Such  was  the  Egyptian  worship,  which  reverenced  life  in  its  low- 
est forms.  The  idea  was  not  false :  God  is  the  Principle  of  Life  ; 
but  then  God  is  much  more. 

But  here  observe.  It  is  only  idolatry  when  unnecessarily  inad- 
equate— that  is,  when  the  man  might  and  ought  to  have  had  high- 
er views.  All  conceptions  of  God  are  inadequate :  that  of  the 
highest  Christian  is  inadequate  to  represent  the  All-perfect  truly. 
But  it  is  one  thing  to  think  inadequately  of  God  because  the 
powers  are  feeble,  and  another  to  think  so  when  light  is  given  to 


TJie  Progress  of  Revelation.  179 

form  nobler  conceptions  and  to  tliink  more  justly.  The  concep- 
tion of  the  Jew  was  an  imperfect  mental  image,  because  he  knew 
not  God  as  Love ;  but  it  was  not  idolatrous,  because  there  was  a 
kind  of  "it  must  needs  be"  in  the  inadequateness. 

But  if  a  Christian  were  now  to  acknowledge  as  his  Highest  an 
image  of  God  as  vindictive,  jealous,  partial,  or  lax,  or  as  a  mere 
Creator,  when  He  has  been  revealed  as  Love,  he  would  tread  on 
the  very  verge  of  idolatry,  because  he  might  have  a  higher  image 
in  the  Divine  Humanity  of  Christ,  who  is  the  "express  Image  of 
God's  Person."  And  so  a  Protestant  who  quotes  the  second  com- 
mandment against  the  Romanist,  to  prove  the  Romanist  idolatrous 
because  he  reminds  himself  of  God  by  graven  images,  may  be 
himself  idolatrous  in  a  deeper  sense ;  he  may  think  of  God  as  par- 
tial— loving  him  and  his  small  sect  only.  The  Romanist  breaks 
the  letter  of  this  second  commandment,  many  a  Protestant  the 
spirit  of  the  law. 

Now,  what  we  are  concerned  to  observe  is  that  the  Jew  was  not 
taught  this  principle  of  idolatry ;  he  was  trained  to  it  by  a  pre- 
cept. He  was  not  to  make  images,  like  the  Egyptian,  of  the  ibis 
or  the  crocodile,  because  it  was  degrading  to  the  idea  of  God ;  nor 
images,  like  the  Assyrian,  of  those  strange  winged  human  figures 
which  we  see  in  the  Museum,  because  they  are  inadequate ;  nor 
images  like  the  devil-gods  of  the  Philistines,  because  they  were  a 
slander  upon  God. 

And  thus,  by  degrees,  excluded  from  all  lower  forms,  the  Jew 
would  reach  that  state  to  produce  which  the  law  was  given — the 
state  in  which  he  could  form  a  worthier  conception  of  the  Al- 
mighty. Then  he  would  be  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster. 
Having  reached  the  spirit  of  the  law,  the  law  would  be  no  longer 
binding  on  him. 

Do  you  think  any  intelligent,  wise  Christian  considers  that  law 
in  its  letter  binding  upon  him  ?  Is  there  any  but  the  narrowest 
mind  who  would  quote  the  second  commandment  to  a  Christian, 
"  Thou  shalt  not  make  to  thyself  a  graven  image,"  as  forbidding 
sculpture  and  imitative  art?  Yet  it  loas  forbidden  by  the  second 
commandment. 

The  second  instance  of  this  principle  which  we  allege  may  be 
found  in  the  law  of  Moses  is,  "Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  mouth 
of  the  ox  which  treadeth  out  the  corn." 

Consider  for  a  moment  the  not  uncommon  interpretation  of 


1 80  21ie  Progress  of  Revelation. 

this  law.  There  is  a  favorite  mode  of  interpreting  the  Old  Tes- 
tament Scriptures,  especially  among  Pm'itan  divines,  which  looks 
on  them  as  a  collection  of  oracles  or  types  out  of  which  a  recon- 
dite meaning  was  to  be  developed.  The  spiritual  sense  of  Script- 
ure is  regarded  as  the  hidden  connection  of  these  types  with  some 
Christian  mystery,  and  the  spiritual  interpretation  of  Scripture  is 
the  discovery  of  such  a  resemblance.  On  this  principle,  because 
St.  Paul  extracts  out  of  this  command  the  duty  of  the  Christian 
Church  to  make  provision  for  its  ministers,  therefore,  under  his 
guidance,  they  say  oxen  were  the  type  of  Christian  ministers; 
and  wherever  the  word  occurs,  so  they  read  it.  The  oxen  sup- 
porting the  brazen  sea  were  types  of  a  Christian  ministry ;  and 
their  looking  east,  west,  north,  and  south  was  typical  of  the  uni- 
versal spread  of  Christianity. 

For  one  moment  let  us  stop  to  think.  All  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  were  intended  to  teach  some  one.  For  whom,  then, 
was  this  command  given  ?  Was  it  for  the  Jews  of  old  ?  Could 
it  be  that  the  Jews  were  from  this  to  guess  that  in  after-times  a 
Christian  ministry  were  to  be  supported  ?  And  if  so,  what  Avas 
that  to  them  ?  Or  was  it  to  teach  Christians  ?  Can  the  plain  duty 
be  left  to  be  spelled  out  of  a  recondite  and  debatable  enigma? 
The  danger  of  this  mode  of  interpretation  is  that  it  turns  Script- 
ure into  a  collection  of  trifling  littlenesses,  makes  it  a  set  of  rid- 
dles, and  the  expounder  of  it  a  riddle-guesser.  And  just  as  the 
eye  loses  its  power  by  ever  looking  through  a  microscope,  so  does 
the  mind  lose  the  comprehensiveness  of  its  grasp  by  straining  after 
these  infinitesimal  littlenesses. 

The  true  spirit  of  the  law  is  this,  the  ox  is  a  toiler  for  man's 
good.  God  says.  Muzzle  him  not,  he  has  a  right  to  feed.  But 
observe  the  principle  involved.  The  ox  has  a  right  as  a  laborer, 
not  as  an  animal.  Then  it  follows  that  "  every  laborer  is  worthy 
of  his  hire."  The  minister  is  worthy  because  a  laborer;  not  be- 
cause of  a  Scriptural  type,  but  because  of  a  Christian  principle. 
It  is  thus  that  St.  Paul  reasons :  "  Doth  God  take  care  for  oxen  ?" 
That  is,  is  this  law  merely  meant  to  inculcate  benevolence  to  ani- 
mals, or  is  there  a  principle  in  it  ?  "  Saith  He  it  altogether  for 
our  sakes  ?     For  our  sakes,  no  doubt,  this  is  written." 

Now,  many  a  man  who  would  accept  this  application  of  the 
principle  because  it  was  made  by  Paul,  might  miss  the  great  teach- 
ing of  his  principle.     For,  read  it  only  as  a  type,  and  then  many 


TJic  Progress  of  Revelation.  1 8 1 

a  man  who  would  scrupulously  pay  his  minister,  because  com- 
manded by  a  Bible  type,  would  be  severe  and  rigorous  on  his  la- 
borers. In  that  case  he  would  be  a  slave  to  the  letter,  instead  of 
being  made  a  freeman  by  the  principle. 

II.  AVe  pass  on  to  consider  the  second  way  in  which  the  law 
was  education  by  a  schoolmaster. 

It  was  so  because  it  prescribed  inadequate  duties — a  part  in- 
stead of  the  whole,  which  was  to  develop  into  the  whole. 

Of  this  we  select  three  instances. 

1.  The  institution  of  the  Temple  worship. 

The  Jews  were  to  hallow  the  place  which  the  Lord  should 
choose  to  put  His  name  there.  The  place  where  the  ark  rested, 
and  where  the  Temple  stood,  there  God  was — there  were  men  to 
worship. 

Now,  this  might  mean  either  of  two  things. 

It  might  mean  that  God  was  more  there  than  elsewhere.  This 
idea  lay  at  the  bottom  of  that  miserable  question  between  the  Sa- 
maritans and  the  Jews — Which  was  holier,  Mount  Gerizim  or 
Mount  Moriah?  And  this  lies  at  the  root  of  all  modern  wran- 
gling as  to  whether  a  church  be  holier  than  a  hill-side — whether 
the  consecration  by  a  bishop  imparts  actual  intrinsic  sanctity  to 
stones  and  walls.  And,  observe,  exactly  in  proportion  as  one 
place  becomes  more  holy  in  our  eyes,  others  become  less  holy. 
When  God  is  confined  to  one  spot.  He  is  banished  just  in  that 
proportion  from  all  other  spots.  To  sanctify  your  church,  you 
profane  God's  world.  Whatever  peculiar  degree  of  acceptable- 
ness  you  add  to  the  prayer  offered  up  in  one  place,  you  take  from 
the  prayer  offered  up  in  all  other  places. 

But,  again,  it  might  be  that  God  was  teaching  the  Jew  this : 
that  if  He  put  in  a  claim  to  part.  He  had  a  right  to  the  whole ; 
that  if  God  were  in  Jerusalem,  He  was  also  in  the  desert.  And 
assuredly  God  did  teach  the  Jew  this.  For  there  were  times  when, 
driven  from  his  country,  the  partial  truth  was  insufficient,  and  he 
was  forced  to  realize  the  more  adequate  one.  So  Daniel,  exiled 
in  Babylon,  prayed ;  the  old  feeling  still  clinging  to  him,  his  win- 
dows therefore  open  to  Jerusalem ;  but  still  persuaded  that,  al- 
though far  away  from  Jerusalem,  yet  that  God  was  hearing  him. 
In  a  very  touching  psalm  David  yearns  after  the  ordinances  and 
the  Temple  service  he  had  once  enjoyed :  "  As  the  hart  panteth 


1 82  The  Progress  of  Revelation. 

after  the  water-brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  Thee,  O  God." 
But  before  the  psahii  is  finished  he  realizes  the  truth  that  even  in 
his  banishment  God  will  "  command  his  loving-ldndness  in  the 
daytime,  and  in  the  night  his  song  shall  be  with  me,  and  my 
prayer  unto  the  God  of  my  life ;"  and  that  he  may  therefore  pray 
from  "  the  land  of  Jordan,  and  of  the  Hermonites,  and  from  the 
hill  Mizar." 

When  faith  was  well-nigh  extinct  and  forms  dead,  there  was 
one  man  at  least  in  Israel  who  from  the  localized  worship  had  ex- 
tracted the  deeper  truth.  The  iron-hearted  Baptist  goes  into  the 
wilderness,  and  with  no  temple  but  the  sky,  no  symbols  but  the 
solemn  trees,  the  moaning  night-winds,  and  the  roll  of  Jordan,  an 
emblem  of  the  eternity  into  which  his  soul  was  passing,  feels  that 
God  is  there  as  truly  as  in  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem.  And  the 
Son  of  Man  Himself  said,  "  The  hour  cometh  when  neither  in  this 
mountain  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem  shall  men  worship  the  Father. 
God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth,  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  Him." 
Thus,  then,  through  a  most  inadequate  truth,  the  Jew  was  led  on 
to  the  larger  truth  that  God  is  here,  and  therefore  to  be  wor- 
shipped. But  then  God  is  everywhere,  and  his  true  temples  are 
infinite  space  and  the  soul  of  man. 

2.  The  second  instance  is  taken  from  the  fourth  command- 
ment, "  Remember  that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath-day." 

So  runs  the  law,  one  seventh  of  all  time  is  God's.  But  see  how 
inadequate  this  is.  It  is  a  truth,  but  only  a  part  of  the  truth. 
For  if  that  one  portion  be  exclusively  God's,  then  just  in  that  pro- 
portion the  rest  of  time  is  not  God's.  This  is  what  Pharisaism, 
ancient  and  modern,  perpetually  tends  to.  It  purchases  the  sanc- 
tification  of  the  one  seventh  by  the  profaning  of  the  six  sevenths. 
The  Sabbath  is  God's,  then  Monday  is  not  God's,  but  yours  and 
the  world's. 

Assuredly,  this  was  not  God's  teaching  by  that  Divine  institu- 
tion of  the  Sabbath-day.  But,  just  as  now  a  "  right  of  way  "  is 
often  secured  to  the  proprietor  by  shutting  up  a  road  one  day  in 
the  year,  not  to  declare  it  his  only  on  that  day,  or  more  on  that 
day  than  others,  but  simply  to  vindicate  his  right  in  it  for  every 
day ;  so  did  God  shut  up  one  seventh  part  of  time,  that  it  might 
be  understood  that  all  belonged  to  Him. 

Accordingly,  when  we  come  to  the  New  Testament,  we  find 


TJie  Progress  of  Revelation.  183 

that  revealed  wliicli  had  been  so  long  implied.  St.  Paul  says, 
"  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  re- 
spect of  a  holy  da}',  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath-days. 
One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  another;  another  esteemeth 
every  day  alike.  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own 
mind.  Ye  observe  days  and  months,  and  times  and  years.  I  am 
afraid  of  you,  lest  I  have  bestowed  upon  you  labor  in  vain."  As 
if  the  whole  labor  of  the  past  had  been  in  vain,  so  long  as  they 
were  still  cleaving  to  the  inadequate  truth,  instead  of  embracing 
the  higher  and  expanded  one,  that  all  time  is  God's ;  every  day 
of  life  to  be  consecrated  to  Him. 

3.  The  third  instance  we  adduce  is  that  of  the  third  command- 
ment :  "  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in 
vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that  taketh  his  name 
in  vain." 

This  is  commonly  quoted  as  prohibiting  blasphemy  and  curs- 
ing ;  but  originally  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  this.  To  take  the 
name  of  God  in  vain  was  to  use  it  in  asseveration,  to  call  God  to 
witness,  and  then,  by  breaking  the  oath,  to  make  that  invocation 
vain  or  void,  and  thus  render  the  name  of  God  a  worthless  and 
frivolous  thing.  It  was  equivalent  to  "  Thou  shalt  not  forswear 
thyself,  but  perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths." 

In  this  spirit  the  whole  Jewish  law  was  framed.  If  a  man  was 
put  upon  his  oath  by  the  priest,  he  was  bound  to  utter  truth, 
under  tremendous  penalties:  "And  if  a  soul  sin,  and  hear  the 
voice  of  swearing,  and  is  a  witness,  whether  he  hath  seen  or 
known  of  it ;  if  he  do  not  utter  it,  then  he  shall  bear  his  iniquity." 

It  was  in  obedience  to  this  law  that  Christ  responded  to  the 
high  -  priest's  question.  At  first  He  held  His  peace,  but  when 
"adjured  by  the  living  God"  to  say  if  He  were  the  Son  of  God, 
He  immediately  replied,  "  I  am." 

Thus,  then,  the  lesson  God  taught  the  Jew  was  truth,  but  truth 
inadequate,  truth  under  certain  circumstances.  It  was  an  exceed- 
ingly inadequate  exposition  of  duty :  truth  when  the  priest  was 
by,  truth  when  God  was  present,  or  when  God's  name  was  in- 
voked. Now  here,  too,  the  limitation  of  the  command  was  most 
dangerous.  In  proportion  as  a  Jew  thought  himself  peculiarly 
bound  to  be  true  when  on  his  oath,  he  would  feel  freed  from  obli- 
gation when  not  on  oath.  So,  now,  men  who  would  shudder  at 
perjury,  think  comparatively  little  of  untruth. 


1 84  The  Progress  of  Revelation. 

Nevertheless,  tliougli  originally  inadequate,  see  Low  this  law 
taught  deeper  views  of  truth.  So  long  as  the  Jew  believed  that 
God  was  limited  to  one  seventh  of  time,  or  limited  to  a  portion  of 
space,  so  long,  of  course,  was  the  duty  of  truth  limited  too :  truth 
only  where  God  is — you  must  not  lie  on  the  Sabbath,  nor  perjure 
yourself  in  the  court  of  justice.  But  when  the  Jew  learned  that 
all  time  was  God's,  and  all  space — that  He  is  ubiquitous  in  time, 
omnipresent  in  space — then  the  lesson  he  had  been  learning  came 
into  a  more  extended  application.  And  the  pious  Jew  must  have 
reasoned  thus,  "  I  was  taught  to  be  true  where  God  is ;  but  God 
is  everywhere,  therefore  woe  is  me  if,  in  the  Awful  Presence  that 
fills  each  moment  of  time  and  every  corner  of  space,  my  lips  or 
heart  should  utter  an  untruth." 

And  precisely  such  was  the  expansion  which  Christ  gave  to  the 
third  commandment :  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them 
of  old  time.  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  perform  unto  the 
Lord  thine  oaths :  but  I  say  unto  you.  Swear  not  at  all :  neither 
by  heaven,  for  it  is  God's  throne,  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  His 
footstool ;  neither  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great 
King."  In  other  words,  God  is  everywhere,  heaven  His  throne, 
earth  His  footstool — the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  counted  by 
Him.  And  so  in  Christianity  the  sin  of  lying  is  equal  to  the 
Jewish  crime  of  perjury.  The  Christian  word  is  as  sacred  as  the 
Jewish  oath,  being  fenced  by  sanctions  precisely  the  same.  You 
speak  in  God's  presence,  speak  where  you  will.  And  hence  the 
Christian  " yea"  is  to  be  " yea,  indeed,"  and  the  Christian  " nay," 
"  nay,  indeed." 

In  the  application  of  this  subject  we  have  three  things  to  say. 

1.  The  first  truth  at  which  we  arrive  is  this :  revelation  is  educa- 
tion. We  ask  no  better  definition  than  this  of  St.  Paul's.  The 
human  race  has  been  under  a  schoolmaster.  AVhat  education  has 
been  to  the  individual,  that  is  revelation  to  the  race.  God  is  re- 
vealing Himself  to  His  world. 

And  herein  lies  the  difference  between  the  atheistic  and  the 
Christian  view  of  the  progress  of  the  human  race.  Atheism  in- 
fers it  from  the  qualities  of  the  pupil,  Christianity  from  the  love 
of  the  teacher.  Atheism — that  atheism,  at  least,  which  puts  God 
out  of  the  question — talks  of  the  majesty  of  the  human  intellect, 
counts  up  the  triumphs  of  past  discoveries,  and  infers  the  future 


The  Progress  of  Revelation,  1 85 

from  the  past.  But  it  is  not  so,  we  reason.  ^Ye  begin  -with 
God,  not  man ;  we  do  not  say,  man  will  reach  all  truth,  but  God 
will  teach  him  all  truth ;  not,  man  will  find  out  God,  but  God  is 
seekinof  man.     In  other  words,  we  believe  in  revelation. 

2.  The  second  thing  we  arrive  at  is  that  revelation  is  progres- 
sive. 

Understand  what  we  have  in  the  Bible.  Not  truth  absolute, 
but  truth  relative.  If  we  think  that  inspiration  means  the  com- 
munication of  the  highest  spiritual  truth,  or  the  power  of  commu- 
nicating it,  we  utterly  confuse  the  meaning  of  inspiration.  If  we 
think  that  Moses,  Job,  David  knew,  except  most  dimly,  what  we 
know,  we  confound  the  different  ages  of  revelation.  Or  if  we 
suppose  that  even  the  truths  we  have  now  are  aught  but  the  dim- 
mest dawn  of  that  blaze  of  truth  which  shall  be  in  the  coming 
revelation,  we  lose  the  doctrine  of  this  text.  For  there  is  no  rev- 
elation but  the  ever-continuing. 

3.  Lastly,  let  us  learn  that  the  training  of  the  character  in  God's 
revelation  has  always  preceded  the  illumination  of  the  intellect. 
The  truths  I  have  spoken  of  are  contained  in  a  few  sentences : 
God  fills  all  space,  all  time.  To  have  low  notions  of  God  is  idol- 
atry. God  being  everywhere,  man's  life  should  be  everywhere 
true. 

But  it  took  God  four  thousand  years  to  teach  these  truths  to 
the  human  race.  And  here  again,  therefore,  we  are  in  diametrical 
opposition  to  the  modern  systems.  It  is  the  fashion  now  to  rely 
upon  the  illumination  of  the  intellect  for  the  perfecting  of  the 
character.  God's  way  from  old  time  has  been  to  rely  upon  the 
training  of  the  heart  and  habits  for  the  illumination  of  the  under- 
standing. 

You  may  teach  a  child  these  truths  in  ten  minutes ;  but  to 
teach  them  as  God  would  have  them  taught,  to  teach  them  in  any 
way  that  shall  not  be  worthless,  that  demands  a  long,  holy,  obedi- 
ent, humble  life. 


I S6  CJiaractcr  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist, 


xxvir. 

CHARACTER  AND  MISSION  OF  THE  BAPTIST,     (i.) 

(compiled  from  autograph  notes  for  two  sermons.) 

Brighton,  December  24,  1818,  and  December  14,  1851. 

"Then  said  they  unto  hira,  Who  art  thou ?  that  we  may  give  an  answer  to 
them  that  sent  us.  What  sayest  thou  of  thyself,''  He  said,  I  am  the  voice 
of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  said 
the  prophet  Esaias." — John  i.  22,  23. 

To  those  who  merely  accept  a  truth  because  it  is  written,  the 
life  of  John  the  Baptist  presents  nothing  much  more  significant 
than  the  fact  that  it  pleased  God,  we  know  not  why,  to  send  a 
prophet  to  prepare  the  way  for  Christ. 

But  to  those  who  love  to  realize  the  Past,  to  bring  it  near,  and 
reproduce  it  with  the  same  distinctness  in  which  it  would  have 
been  seen  had  they  lived  in  it,  not  only  is  the  figure  of  the  Bap- 
tist one  of  the  most  striking  of  all  v»^hich  stand  out  in  Bible  his- 
tory, but  also  the  necessity  of  his  appearance  is  most  intelligible, 
and  his  life  one  with  the  peculiarities  of  which  they  can  most 
deeply  sympathize. 

We  say  John  had  a  special  mission.  Let  us  understand  what 
we  mean  by  that  mission. 

God's  missions  are  not  like  ours.  It  is  not  the  office  which 
makes  the  man,  but  the  man  whose  character  creates  the  oflSce. 
The  office  arises  out  of  the  circumstances  which  mould  the  char- 
acter. Looking  at  him,  when  life  is  done,  in  a  worldly  point  of 
view,  men  would  say  his  life  was  the  result  of  all  the  circumstances 
which  made  him  what  he  was.  Looking  at  the  same  facts,  relig- 
ion says,  True,  circumstances  made  him ;  but  circumstances  are 
God's  appointment.  This  is  what  we  mean  by  a  mission — God 
sent  him. 

The  significance  of  the  Baptist,  his  life,  the  place  he  occupies  in 
the  world's  history,  the  peculiarities  of  his  character,  we  shall 
never  understand  by  merely  referring  them,  with  seeming  piety, 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist.  187 

to  an  arbitrary  fiat  of  the  Most  High.  We  must  understand  the 
day  before  we  can  comprehend  the  man.  We  must  understand 
the  circumstances  which  made  him  what  he  was  before  we  can 
comprehend  in  what  sense  God  "  sent  him." 

Oar  subject  will  therefore  divide  itself  into  three  branches : 

I.  The  circumstances  which  made  the  man. 

II.  The  man  John. 

III.  His  mission. 

I.  The  circumstances  which  made  the  man.  John  was  the  exhi- 
bition of  his  age — the  transition  point  between  the  old  and  the  new. 

The  symptoms  of  an  old  religion  breaking  up  were  evident; 
unity  was  succeeded  by  diversity.  We  may  compare  with  it  the 
state  of  Catholicism  when  St.  Bernard's  voice  moved  Europe  to 
the  Crusades.  When  a  multiplicity  of  sects  arose,  previous  to  the 
Reformation,  men  might  know  that  reformation  was  near.  The 
"fulness  of  the  time  was  come,"  visible  to  all  who  observed  the 
signs  of  the  times. 

There  were  four  divisions  of  society  in  Judea :  Pharisees,  Sad- 
ducees,  Essenes,  and  Herodians. 

1.  The  Pharisees. — The  Pharisees  were  the  formalists  of  their 
day.  Consequently,  their  religion  had  slumbered  into  habit. 
They  mumbled  prayers,  bowed  their  heads,  quoted  maxims  hav- 
ing lost  principles,  and  had  a  sharp-defined  creed.  The  inner  life 
of  conscience  had  passed  into  the  life  of  outward  habit. 

The  Pharisees  endeavored  to  keep  religion  alive  by  scrupulously 
and  reverently  retaining  the  past.  God  did  not  speak  to  them, 
but  He  had  spoken  to  rabbis  of  past  days.  Their  faith  amounted 
to  this :  that  for  four  hundred  years  God  had  been  silent ;  that 
since  Malachi,  He  had  not  inspired  the  sons  of  men.  But  inspira- 
tion was  real  once.  It  was  a  kind  of  antique  reverence  for  the 
symbols  of  a  faith  which  once  was,  but  was  evidently  extinct  now. 
These  were  secular,  scheming,  worldly  politicians,  joining  great 
zeal  for  religion  with  laxity  in  duties. 

It  is  an  evidence  of  something  gone  when  antiquarians  collect 
and  prize  relics  of  the  past.  Strong  symptoms  of  an  expiring  re- 
ligion are  seen  when  men  value  the  printed  Word  of  God  more 
than  His  Living  Voice,  when  they  worship  the  Bible  instead  of 
the  God  of  the  Bible. 

Pharisaism  is  the  reliirion  of  habit. 


1 88  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist. 

2.  The  Sadducees.  —  The  Sadducees  were  of  another  order. 
Theirs  was  the  cold  heart  and  clear  intellect.  They  were  the  ra- 
tionalists of  their  day.  Sadduceeism  is  the  reaction  of  Pharisaism 
in  every  age.  AVherever  there  is  an  unquestioning  formalism  or 
a  wild  fanaticism,  there  a  spirit  will  rise  asserting  the  rights  of  the 
understanding.  Rationalism  is  a  dry,  critical,  negative  spirit.  It 
is  Protestantism  merely.  It  protests  against  all  that  cannot  be 
proved.  It  reduces  everything  to  an  intelligible  system.  So  the 
Sadducees  said,  "  We  can  find  no  proofs  of  the  authenticity  of  any 
books  beyond  the  five  of  Moses;  consequently,  we  reject  them. 
We  will  hear  of  no  veneration  for  antiquity ;  that  is  mere  feeling, 
and  books  are  not  to  be  received  on  the  authority  of  feeling." 
They  cut  books  and  chapters  out  of  the  canon  ruthlessly ;  exam- 
ining them  as  coolly  as  they  would  some  old  record — not  with  a 
patient,  reverent  criticism,  but  with  a  cold-blooded  sneer.  They 
took  their  stand  on  a  narrow  creed  indeed.  Again,  they  said, 
"  We  can  find  no  proof  of  immortality.  We  throw  on  you  the 
burden  of  proof.  It  may  be ;  we  do  not  know.  These  are  sim- 
ply aspirations  of  your  own ;  the  belief  of  good  and  wise  men 
before  you.     All  well,  but  possibilities  are  not  proofs." 

Here,  observe,  was  the  religion  merely  of  the  intellect. 

3.  The  Essenes. —  There  was  a  third  party  in  Judea  at  this 
time,  the  Essenes.  There  were  some  who  could  not  bear  this 
formalism  or  this  scepticism.  That  life-weariness  which  is  found 
in  refined  ages — scarcely  known  in  earlier,  but  felt  when  men  be- 
gin to  look  in  as  well  as  out — sent  many  into  the  desert,  to  lead  a 
simpler,  calmer,  austerer  life.  They  could  not  bear  the  awful 
blank  which  the  Sadducees  had  made  by  cutting  out  of  the  canon 
all  the  spiritual  words.  They  could  not  feed  their  souls  on  the 
trifling  fripperies  which  made  up  Pharisaic  religion.  They  tried 
to  find  God  in  contemplation.  They  were  what  we  should  call 
mystics.  They  felt  the  infinitude  of  all  truths,  and  recoiled  from 
the  sharp  dogma  which  would  put  truths  into  words.  They  re- 
treated into  the  inner  shrine  of  our  humanity,  and  said,  God  must 
be  felt,  not  talked  about,  nor  understood.  Nay,  even  the  steady, 
consistent  life  of  practical  duty  was  merged  by  them  in  vague 
feelings,  tender  or  mysterious. 

There  have  always  been  sucli  tendencies.  Protests  against 
what  is  hard.  Glorious  assertions  of  that  whicli  is  boundless  and 
deep,  and  imaginative  and  awful  in  the  soul.     Such  is  the  silent 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist,  1 89 

quietism  of  the  Quakers,  who  wait  mutely  for  the  effluence  of  the 
Spirit;  and  such  the  source  of  that  profound  stillness  which 
breathes  through  Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Here,  then,  was  the  religion  of  feeling. 

The  defect  of  such  religion  is  that  its  tendency  is  to  lose  at  last 
the  actual  fact  of  outward  truth — God,  religion,  all,  become  a  feel- 
ing, not  a  fact. 

4.  The  Herodians. — Respecting  them  we  know  little.  They 
were  probably  a  political  party,  who  desired  to  make  Herod  king. 
Their  existence  tells,  of  course,  of  a  large  number  of  men  who  had 
turned  aside  from  questions  merely  ecclesiastical  and  religious,  to 
those  which  concerned  man's  social  and  political  existence. 

And  such  there  will  ever  be  :  men  of  active  mind  who  seek  re- 
alities, and  to  whom  religious  subtleties  seem  shadows.  Men  of 
stern  Roman  integrity,  like  Gallio,  who  will  bend  all  their  energy 
upon  causes  of  property  or  wrongs,  but  if  it  be  a  matter  of  ques- 
tioning about  your  matters,  will  say,  "  See  ye  to  it,  for  I  will  be 
no  judge  of  such  matters."  Men  who  are  weary  of  disputes  be- 
tween Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  and  turn  their  attention  to  facts 
of  science,  on  which  they  can  find  firm  resting-ground.  Such  a 
one,  perhaps,  was  that  mental  giant  of  modern  times,  Humboldt, 
who,  almost  alone  of  men,  was  capable  of  writing  a  history  of  the 
universe ;  and  who  has  told  us — a  sad,  memorable  confession — 
that  in  the  pursuit  of  science  only  can  the  mind  find  refuge  from 
the  mysteries  of  Being  and  the  pain  of  questions  which  are  insol- 
uble. 

Thus,  then,  Jewish  society  had  separated  itself  into  four  depart- 
ments, the  religion  of  habit,  of  feeling,  of  intellect — formalism, 
scepticism,  mysticism — and  of  interest  respecting  the  affairs  of 
this  present  life. 

Now,  religion  is  meant  to  impregnate  all  of  men.  But  there 
ever  is  a  tendency  in  our  religion  to  narrow  itself  into  one  of  our 
faculties,  and  then  exhibit  itself  as  only  habit  or  feeling  or  intel- 
lect. The  consequence  of  this  tendency  was  that  Jewish  society 
was  rent  into  fragments  and  fractions,  and  therefore  was  its  unity 
lost. 

II.  The  man  John. 

Now,  consider  how  it  was  impossible  for  a  man  like  John  to 
find  a  home  in  any  of  these  parties. 


190  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist. 

Should  he  join  himself  to  the  Pharisees  ? 

How,  with  his  impatience  of  all  that  was  unreal  and  the  iron 
earnestness  of  his  nature,  could  he  belong  to  those  whose  life  was 
droned  away  in  litanies  and  frittered  into  genuflexions  ? 

Or  the  Sadducees  ? 

Can  you  conceive  him  resting  in  mere  protesting  negations; 
satisfied  with  their  cold  intellectual  system ;  pleased  to  hear  some 
protesting  orator  demonstrate  how  superstitious  and  idolatrous  the 
Pharisees  were  ? 

Or,  again,  should  he  become  one  of  the  Essenes  ? 

That  iron  man,  with  his  practical  sense  of  duty,  his  terrible 
sense  of  wrong ;  whose  words  fell  from  him  like  a  warrior's,  with 
soldier-like  brevity,  sharp  and  trenchant,  every  sentence  a  half-bat- 
tle !  Think  you  he  could  go  and  dream  life  away  in  contempla- 
tion, in  stillness,  and  in  sickly  feeling? 

Well,  then,  the  Herodians  ? 

Surely,  for  one  so  real,  a  patriot's  life  offered  what  was  wanted. 
A  Jewish  patriot  to  emancipate  his  people.  Was  not  John  the 
man  for  the  hour  ? 

But  this  was  equally  impossible.  What  his  spirit  burned  and 
yearned  for  was,  not  a  mere  civil  liberty,  nor  a  polity,  but  a  king- 
dom of  God  on  earth.  What  was  it  to  him  whether  a  licentious 
emperor  or  a  licentious  viceroy  sat  on  Israel's  throne  ?  What  to 
him  whether  his  province  groaned  on  still  beneath  the  Roman 
yoke,  or  that  rebellion  should  succeed,  and  popular  excesses  and 
popular  vices  follow  imperial  despotism  and  royal  vices  ? 

He  loved  humanity  almost  more  than  men.  He  felt  his  coun- 
try's degradation.  But  his  was  one  of  those  spirits  to  whom  God 
is  dearer  than  humanity.  And,  therefore,  for  such  a  one  in  mere 
political  existence  there  was  no  career,  among  such  parties  there 
was  no  home  for  him.     No  wonder  he  stood  aloof  from  all. 

It  is  only  by  a  consideration  of  such  circumstances  that  the 
Baptist's  peculiar  life  becomes  intelligible. 

HI.  Let  us  now  consider:  The  mode  of  preparation,  and  its  ef- 
fect on  the  mind  of  John — this  latter  first. 

i.  The  effect  produced  on  the  mind  of  John  by  his  dwelling  in 
the  wilderness. 

This  was  not  a  desert  of  rocks  and  sand,  but  wild,  uninhabited 
forest-land.    Amidst  such  scenes  the  spirit  of  John  was  disciplined 


Character  ajid  Mission  of  the  Baptist.  191 

for  his  peculiar  work.  He  was  there  thirty  years,  "  till  his  show- 
ing unto  Israel."  Think  of  this !  Thirty  years'  preparation  for 
one  year's  work.  So  natural  was  this  that  when  he  came  into  the 
world  of  men.  his  last  hour  soon  struck. 

Consider  the  testimony  of  such  a  life  as  his  to  the  existence  of 
another  world.  I  do  not  mean  one  future,  but  present — around 
us ;  a  world  of  thought,  feeling,  contemplation.  "  Man  does  not 
live  by  bread  alone ;"  a  man's  life  *'  consistcth  not  in  the  abun- 
dance of  the  things  that  he  hath."  Look  at  John's  childhood. 
From  his  birth  this  had  been  his  choice :  "  The  child  grew,  and 
waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and  was  in  the  deserts  until  the  day  of  his 
showing  unto  Israel."  We  live  feebly  ;  we  cannot  believe  except 
we  have  truths  echoed  again  and  again.  From  Sunday  to  Sunday 
is  too  long  to  believe  in  God  without  evangelical  props  and  means 
of  grace.  There  are  souls  which  God  has  made  who  can  expatiate 
in  that  invisible  world  where  others  can  scarcely  breathe ;  growing 
like  hardy  plants  upon  the  rock,  like  the  heather  in  the  sand. 

In  the  wilderness  the  child  shrank  not  from  the  awful  solitude. 
lie  was  not  alone :  all  around  him  were  the  types  of  the  Invisible. 
The  river  flowing  by,  the  storm-shaken  trees  above,  and  the  grass 
not  bent  beneath,  breathed  into  his  soul  a  deep  peace.  He  had 
no  forms  to  worship  by ;  but  the  world  was  the  great  form  which 
shaped  his  ideas  of  God.  And  then,  beyond,  beyond,  the  Pres- 
ence "whose  dwelling  is  the  light  of  setting  suns." 

Observe  the  effect  produced  on  such  a  mind  by  the  convention- 
alities of  society.  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  came  to  him — the 
men  without  a  faith,  and  the  men  without  a  heart;  and  indigna- 
tion, as  of  an  ancient  Hebrew  prophet,  awoke  against  them.  Ra- 
pacious publicans,  the  discontented  populace,  the  haughty  soldier 
of  the  Roman  armies,  came  to  hear  of  a  higher  life.  And  he 
showed  them  all  how  false  their  life  had  been.  Then  came  his 
life  at  the  court  of  Herod  ;  all  around  he  saw  a  conventional,  arti- 
ficial morality.  There  sin  that  was  condemned  in  the  poor  publi- 
can was  considered  venial  in  the  great  man.  But  John  knew  no 
such  distinctions.  He  had  been  living  alone  with  God,  reading 
his  Bible,  looking  at  the  heart  of  things,  hoping  for  the  kingdom 
of  God  ;  and  this  was  no  kingdom  of  God  at  all.  So,  of  course, 
all  fell  away  from  him  :  such  a  man  was  not  fit  for  life.  Accord- 
ingly, when  he  came  into  the  world  and  spoke  of  things  by  their 
real  names,  the  end  soon  came. 


192  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist. 

So  is  it  always.  No  one  sees  how  the  battle  goes  while  he  is  in 
it :  no  one  ever  understood  the  world  except  by  getting  out  of  it 
from  time  to  time.  How  a  short  contact  even  leaves  us  in  levity 
and  earthliness,  how  we  find  ourselves  acquiescing  in  its  false 
maxims !  And  we  return  to  wonder  how  hollow  and  false  a  thing 
our  life  has  become. 

Observe,  again,  how  the  Spirit  of  God  in  such  a  mind  passes 
into  life. 

Had  John  died  before  his  thirty  years  were  over,  he  had  dis- 
charged no  mission.  But  he  differed  from  the  Essenes  in  the 
practical  character  of  his  call;  it  was  not  to  meditation,  though 
he  was  an  anchorite  himself.  So  the  Spirit  of  God,  buried  in  the 
heart,  passes  out  into  action.  This  is  Christian  life.  Beginning 
in  the  resolution  of  a  firm,  solitary  heart,  passing  into  life,  ending 
in  deep  peace :  it  brings  the  desert  into  the  world,  the  hermit  into 
life,  and  sends  him,  with  a  strong,  self-conquering  heart,  through 
the  manifest  duties  of  life — in  the  world,  but  not  of  the  world. 

John  was  prepared  for  his  work  in  the  loneliness  of  the  wilder- 
ness. 

From  a  very  early  age  the  young  soul  began  to  ask  those  deep 
questions  which  are  deepest.  But  he  got  no  help  from  rabbi  or 
scribe ;  so  he  went  into  the  desert,  to  be  with  God — alone. 

Losing  the  solaces  of  an  earthly  home,  he  found  in  God  his  ev- 
erlasting portion.  Like  a  single  trunk  of  an  alpine  tree  rising 
solitary  from  between  the  interstices  of  some  lonely  rock  and 
throwing  its  branches  over  the  cataract.  You  look  for  soil,  there 
is  scarcely  any  to  be  seen  ;  and  yet  that  gnarled  root  has  fastened 
its  tenacious  grasp  on  the  bare  stone,  and  tossed  its  green  branches 
in  the  air,  as  if  it  needed  nothing  but  the  breath  of  heaven  for  its 
support.  So  this  soul  flourished  where  less  hardy  spirits  would 
have  starved,  and  he  breathed  freely  the  atmosphere  of  heaven 
while  yet  on  earth. 

Then  consider  the  reality  of  his  life.  His  food,  locusts  and 
wild  honey;  his  dress,  camel's -hair  and  a  leathern  girdle;  his 
drink,  the  chance  brook.  These  are  the  simplicities  of  life  that 
force  men  to  be  real. 

On  two  previous  Sundays  I  spoke  of  the  Advent  in  reference  to 
the  development  of  our  humanity — God's  education  of  the  race, 
and  God's  education  of  the  individual.  For  religion  deals  not 
only  with  man  the  social,  but  with  man  the  individual  besides. 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist,  193 

Christianity  is  a  cliiircb — God's  relation  to  humanity ;  but  it  is 
also  a  religion  —  a  matter  of  personal  experience.  We  stand 
alone,  separate  from  all  other  beings.  We  partake  of  common  in- 
fluences. But  our  individuality,  separated  from  all  other,  lies  based 
deeply  in  that. 

And  this  is  one  of  the  great  lessons  taught  by  the  Baptist's 
life:  the  solitary  character  of  the  relation  between  God  and  the 
soul. 

It  is  a  mournful  prospect  for  the  man  who  is  timorously  asking 
the  formalist  and  the  ritualist  to  tell  him  what  it  is  reckoned  by 
the  majority  safest  to  believe,  which  is  the  right  Church,  and  such- 
like questions. 

Mournful,  too,  for  the  spirit  who  is  trying  by  sharp  intellect  to 
cut  into  the  heart  of  truth,  and  finds  layer  after  layer  and  covering 
after  covering  taken  off,  till  he  comes  to  the  central  nothing ;  who 
is  trying  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  being  wdth  subtle  intellect, 
clear  and  sharp,  and  finds  truth  after  truth  untenable  and  unprov- 
able. 

Then,  in  the  hour  when  the  timorous  are  dismayed,  w  hen  habit 
is  broken  by  some  shock,  and  the  intellect  darkened,  the  brave 
soul  of  faith  dares  to  look  into  the  Awful  Darkness  and  feel  God. 

Believe  in  God — your  own  soul  and  God.  Dare  to  be  alone. 
Dare  to  be  as  Christ  was.  Do  not  go  about  asking  what  this  man 
believes,  and  what  that.  Dare  to  enter  into  that  solitude  which  is 
peopled  by  the  spirits  of  "  just  men  made  perfect."  Be  sure  that 
God  is  nearer  than  you  think.  Be  true  to  Him,  and  brave.  One 
thing  real  amidst  a  world  of  shadows. 

The  second  lesson  taught  by  that  life  is  the  necessity  of  falling 
back  on  first  principles. 

Consider  the  simplicity  of  John's  life  and  creed.  He  had 
enough  to  supply  life,  and  no  more.  From  artificial  pampered 
life  he  falls  back  on  the  fact,  "  Man  w^ants  but  little."  His  creed 
was  simple  as  his  life — "Repentance,"  and  "judgment  to  come." 

The  deepest  truths  are  always  the  first  and  simplest. 

In  this  age  the  real  questions  are,  not  the  frivolous  ones  dis- 
cussed in  religious  journals — baptism,  surplices,  and  such  like — 
but.  What  is  God,  and  where  ?  What  is  human  life  ?  Whither 
are  we  tending? 

Be  sure  that  in  a  dying  hour  the  questions  will  narrow  into  a 
very  few  :  God — Eternity — the  Soul — Judgment — and  the  Cross. 

9 


194  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist, 

ii.  The  mode  in  which  John  prepared  the  way  for  Christ — his 
mission. 

1.  John  calls  himself  a  voice. 

A  voice  is  the  utterance  of  a  meaning  sound — an  articulate  ex- 
pression. The  wind  is  called  God's  voice,  which  "  shaketh  the  ce- 
dars " — where  a  meaning  is  fancied.  John  was  the  world's  voice. 
Four  centuries  had  passed,  and  yet  no  man  could  speak  the  word. 
Simple  enough  it  seems :  "  Repent,"  if  God's  kingdom  is  to  come. 
Regenerated  society  comes  not  from  regenerated  institutions,  but 
from  regenerated  hearts.  Changed  hearts  will  produce  changed 
character  and  changed  institutions.  But  none  till  John  had  found 
the  tongue  to  express  this,  though  all  acknowledged  it  when  it 
was  spoken.  The  dim,  vague  longing,  the  restless  tossing  of  that 
age,  had  found  a  voice  at  last.  John  spoke  out  what  it  wanted ; 
felt  deeply  what  all  were  feeling.  What  w^e  want,  said  he,  is  not 
political  reformation,  nor  a  more  accurate  creed,  nor  more  liberty, 
but  alteration  of  heart  and  life — in  one  word,  Repentance.  So 
spake  the  Voice  of  the  Age — in  articulate  tones  at  last. 

There  is  a  great  distinction  between  eloquence  and  fluency; 
fluency  is  command  of  words,  eloquence  of  words  which  express 
thought.  Fluency  John  had  not ;  short,  sharp,  decisive  words 
were  his — no  ornament  or  trick  of  oratory  there.  Let  us  never 
covet  fluency  ;  it  is  a  fatal  gift.  Let  every  man  covet  eloquence. 
It  is  to  speak  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time,  in  the  right  way. 
And  that  is  done  sometimes  in  a  way  which  it  seems  a  contradic- 
tion to  call  eloquence.  Silence  may  be  eloquence,  and  stammering- 
lips  may  be  eloquent.  Let  a  man  be  earnest  and  true.  The  heart 
will  feel  the  expression  of  itself.  Those  very  few  words  of  John 
were  not  spoken  to  the  world  in  vain. 

And  this  was  the  secret  of  his  marvellous  success.  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees  came.  How  little  you  would  have  thought  this 
was  the  voice  that  spake  what  they  w^anted!    And  yet  they  came. 

John  himself  marvelled — why  w^cre  they  there  ?  The  Pharisee, 
satisfied  with  himself,  what  had  he  to  do  with  "repentance?'* 
The  Sadducee,  satisfied  with  the  present,  what  did  he  care  for 
"  wrath  to  come  ?"  "  One  touch  of  nature  made  the  whole  world 
kin." 

Reality  had  fronted  them,  and  the  veil  fell  off.  We  are  not 
happy,  they  said ;  we  are  miserable.  Prophet  of  the  Invisible, 
what  hast  thou  to  tell  us  ? 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist.  195 

2.  John  was  "  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Prepare 
ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  His  paths  straight." 

The  metaphor  is  drawn  from  the  custom  of  Eastern  kings  send- 
ing heralds  and  pioneers  before  them  to  clear  a  road. 

At  the  period  of  the  Jews'  return  from  captivity,  we  hear  the 
sublime  language  of  Isaiah :  "  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Every  val- 
ley shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made 
low." 

The  King  was  coming,  all  obstacles  were  to  be  removed.  Ob- 
serve, there  was  to  be  levelling.  There  was  to  be  an  elevation  of 
that  which  had  been  unduly  depressed,  a  depression  of  the  unduly 
exalted. 

There  was  the  mountain  of  Caste.  The  Jews  prided  themselves 
on  their  hereditary  descent  from  Abraham  :  "  We  have  Abraham 
to  our  father."  Yes ;  they  were  of  Abraham's  family,  without 
Abraham's  faith.  The  voice  of  the  herald  spoke:  "I  tell  you, 
God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham ;" 
and  then  that  mountain  fell. 


There  was  the  mountain  of  Relio-ious  Sectarianism.    The  I 


ari- 


see  stood  on  an  elevation.  lie  was  above  others,  on  the  strength 
of  certain  formulas  of  expression,  of  breadth  of  phylacteries,  of 
length  of  prayers.  Then  the  voice  spoke,  "  O  generation  of  vi- 
pers," and  another  mountain  fell — that  of  religious  separatism,  on 
which  a  man  exalts  himself  above  his  fellows. 

There  was  the  mountain  which  gave  impunity  to  Avrong-doing. 
Herod  took  his  brother  Philip's  wife.  Li  a  common  man — a  poor 
publican — Herod's  offence  would  have  been  great.  Many  a  wretch- 
ed sinner  was  condemned  by  Pharisaic  sanctimoniousness.  But 
Herod  being  in  power,  great  allowance  was  to  be  made  for  his  sin. 
Therefore  spake  again  the  same  dauntless  voice  that  never  quailed 
before  the  face  of  man :  There  can  be  no  kingdom  of  heaven  on 
earth  while  this  is  allowed ;  sin  is  sin,  wrong  is  wrong,  in  the 
greatest  as  well  as  in  the  smallest.  Covered  by  the  imperial  pur- 
ple of  Pome  and  surrounded  by  the  fasces  of  authority,  sin  is  vile, 
just  as  much  as  in  the  unfriended  and  outcast.  The  stern  voice 
of  the  prophet  says  to  the  king, "  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to 
have  her." 

Thus  before  John's  teaching  all  mountains  went  down.  The 
mountain  from  which  a  man  looks  down  on  others  in  virtue  of 


196  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist, 

derived  worth,  or  that  from  which  he  claims  distinction  by  a  cor- 
rect creed,  or  that  of  rank  and  station. 

But,  observe,  the  Gospel  did  not  teach  abolition  of  distinctions, 
but  established  them  on  a  true  basis.  It  depressed  the  proud,  it 
elevated  the  humble.  The  time  had  come  when  the  "  vile  man 
was  no  longer  to  be  called  liberal,  nor  the  churl  bountiful." 

Jesus  once  stood  at  the  Temple  gate.  lie  saw  the  rich  men 
cast  in  their  offerings  and  a  widow  cast  in  a  farthing:  "Honor  to 
the  splendid  offerings  of  the  rich,"  was  the  world's  cry ;  "  Glory 
to  the  widow's  mite,"  was  the  voice  of  Christ. 

Note,  again,  the  wondrous  way  in  which  this  preaching  did 
level.  All  were  humbled  together.  The  awful  voice  proclaiming 
judgment  to  come  had  levelled  all  in  the  dust  before  God.  For 
when  man  comes  to  front  the  Everlasting  God,  the  dream  of  self- 
righteousness,  the  fine-drawn  logic  of  scepticism  and  infidelity, 
what  can  they  do  for  him  ?  When  sorrow  touches  the  false  heart 
and  the  strongest  totters,  how  shall  they  stand  ?  Ask  the  waves, 
when  they  are  swept  flat  before  the  hurricane.  What  is  all  in 
front  of  the  blaze  of  our  God,  who  is  as  a  Consuming  Fire  ? 

Now  let  us  apply  this. 

Such  was  John's  mission — terrible,  searching,  levelling.  lie  was 
not  the  king  of  love,  but  of  law.  His  office  was  not  to  give  God 
as  a  Father.  He  preached  Him  as  he  knew  him — the  All-holy, 
All-just.  The  Father  was  preached  afterwards — revealed  through 
the  Son,  our  elder  brother. 

Meanwhile  observe,  this  must  be  the  order  ever.  The  baptism 
of  John  must  precede  the  baptism  of  Christ:  the  baptism  of 
water  unto  repentance  that  of  the  Spirit  unto  life. 

Lastly,  just  in  proportion  as  the  work  of  repentance  is  deep, 
the  work  of  grace  is  permanent.  Peter  and  John  were  disciples 
of  the  Baptist  before  they  became  disciples  of  Christ. 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist,  197 


xxviir. 
CHARACTER   AND   MISSION   OF  THE   BAPTIST.     (2.) 

Brighton,  December  21,  1851. 

*' And  he  came  into  all  the  country  about  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism 
of  repentance  for  tlie  remission  of  sins ;  as  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  the 
words  of  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord." — 
Luke  iii.  3,  4. 

These  words,  my  Christian  bretliren,  quoted  by  John  the  Bap- 
tist, had  been  spoken  seven  hundred  years  before  by  Isaiah  him- 
self. Nearly  three  hundred  years  after  that,  Malachi  closed  the 
canon  of  Scripture  with  these  remarkable  words :  "  Behold  I  will 
send  you  Elijah  the  prophet  before  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of 
the  Lord ;  and  he  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  chil- 
dren, and  the  heart  of  the  children  to  their  fathers."  Then  inter- 
vened a  period  of  four  hundred  years,  during  which  the  voice  of 
prophecy  was  mute,  and  ^1  that  was  left  to  guide  the  Israelite 
was  that  of  which  Malachi  reminded  him  in  the  previous  verses: 
"  Remember  ye  the  law  of  Moses  my  servant."  And  then,  when 
these  four  hundred  years  were  closed,  suddenly,  immediately  be- 
fore the  Messiah's  advent,  there  appeared  in  the  wilderness  a  won- 
derful man,  living  a  life  like  that  of  Isaiah  and  Elias,  applying  to 
himself  this  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  and  having  applied  to  him  by 
Christ  that  of  Malachi  concerning  Elijah. 

I  propose  as  the  subject  for  this  day's  contemplation  to  en- 
deavor to  return  an  answer  to  these  two  questions :  first,  by  what 
right  and  in  what  sense  are  these  two  prophecies,  the  one  origi- 
nally spoken  by  Isaiah  of  himself,  and  the  other  distinctly  marking 
out  a  particular  man,  Elias,  referred  to  John  the  Baptist  ?  and,  sec- 
ondly, in  what  sense  was  John  the  forerunner  of  the  Redeemer, 
preparing  His  way  before  Him  ? 

I.  Now,  to  understand  on  what  principle  these  words  arc  ap- 
plicable to  John  the  Baptist,  we  must  carry  along  with  us  the 


1 98  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist. 

leading  principle  of  propliecy  :  it  is  not  merely  a  prediction  of 
separate  events,  but,  far  rather,  an  announcement  of  principles. 
Tlirougli  the  interpretation  of  the  present,  the  prophets  predicted 
the  future;  for  the  announcement  of  every  principle  connected 
with  a  fact  is  a  prediction  of  all  future  events  that  shall  occur 
under  similar  circumstances.  For  instance,  the  astronomer,  in  the 
announcement  of  the  eclipse,  has  so  plainly  discovered  the  princi- 
ples that  regulate  it  as  to  be  able  to  foretell  without  a  doubt  the 
very  moment  of  its  return.  Again,  when  a  philosopher  lays  down 
any  law,  such  as  that  of  gravitation,  he  may  say  that  every  stone 
falls  to  earth — there  he  announces  a  principle ;  or  he  may  make  it 
a  prediction  and  say,  every  stone  shall  fall.  And,  again,  when  the 
physician  traces  the  laws  that  have  regulated  pestilence  and  marks 
out  the  course  on  the  map  that  it  has  taken,  in  announcing  the 
facts  he  is  predicting  the  course  of  every  future  pestilence  that 
may  occur  under  similar  circumstances.  Now,  thus  it  was  that 
our  Lord  and  the  prophets  applied  their  prophecy.  The  prophet 
Malachi  uses  the  name  of  Elijah,  and  says,  before  another  great 
and  dreadful  day  come,  another  man  shall  rise  up  in  the  same 
spirit  as  Elijah.  If  you  take  it  as  a  prediction,  then  you  are 
driven  into  those  endless  questions  which  have  occupied  commen- 
tators so  long,  as  to  whether  Elias  shall  himself  return  to  earth ; 
or  else  are  compelled  to  criticise  the  correctness  of  the  Redeemer's 
application  of  it  to  John.  Therefore  there  remains  for  us  another 
way  to  understand  these  words,  as  an  announcement  of  a  principle. 

Now  let  us  look  at  past  times.  When  Israel  had  fallen  from 
God,  another  such  as  Elias  appeared,  Isaiah  demanding  justice, 
mercy,  truth.  The  prophet  Malachi  therefore  tells  us  that  before 
every  such  judgment  of  the  Lord,  before  every  such  event  called 
in  Scripture  a  "  day  of  Christ,"  when  artificial  civilization  is  suc- 
ceeded by  a  great  reformation  and  social  reorganization,  before 
every  such  time  there  will  be  a  falling  back  upon  first  principles. 
The  call  for  a  simpler  and  a  purer  life  is  made  sometimes  by  a 
single  individual,  such  as  Elijah,  Isaiah,  or  John  the  Baptist,  men 
who  have  felt  more  deeply  than  others  the  wants  of  their  nation 
and  their  age,  and  have  dared  to  stand  out  alone,  separated  from 
the  mass,  demanding  a  reformation ;  sometimes,  again,  it  has  been 
made  not  by  an  individual,  but  by  a  spirit  pervading  all  classes. 

Now,  our  Blessed  Lord  applies  this  prophecy  to  John  the  Bap- 
tist.    Some  came  and  asked  Him,  "  Master,  why  say  the  scribes 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist,  199 

that  Elias  must  first  come  ?"  lie  told  tliem  tliat  "  Elias  truly  shall 
first  come  and  restore  all  things."  But  that  the  Elias  that  was 
to  come  was  not  the  Elias  they  had  expected,  but  one  in  the  spirit 
and  power  of  Elias,  who  should  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to 
the  children,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children  to  their  fathers.  He 
thus  reminded  them  that  what  the  prophet  meant  was  not  a  res- 
urrection of  the  man,  but  of  his  spirit. 

Brethren,  we  live  in  an  age  which  in  many  respects  is  parallel 
to  the  times  of  Elias,  Isaiah,  and  John  the  Baptist;  a  day  in 
which  manifestly  we  are  on  the  eve  of  great  and  mighty  changes — 
changes  perchance  more  deep  and  radical  than  any  the  world  has 
yet  seen  ;  a  day  in  which  the  margins  of  old  parties  are  melting 
into  each  other,  and  those  few  who  have  remained  steadfastly  at- 
tached to  some  old  principles  are  becoming  more  bitter  against 
others — a  manifest  proof  of  the  decrepitude  of  an  opinion.  What 
that  coming  day  shall  be  none  but  a  prophet  can  decide ;  some 
tell  us  that  it  will  be  an  age  of  warfare  and  convulsion,  others  are 
looking  merely  for  an  age  of  light.  The  significance  of  the  Bap- 
tist's message  can  never  pass  away.  Therefore  it  becomes  us  to 
ask  what  that  message  meant,  and  what  steps  must  be  taken  to 
prepare  for  the  coming  advent. 

II.  In  the  next  place,  we  return  an  answer  to  the  second  ques- 
tion proposed,  in  what  sense  was  John  the  forerunner  of  Jesus  to 
prepare  His  Avay  ?  It  is  quite  plain  that  the  expression  of  the 
prophet  is  a  figurative  one.  It  alludes  to  a  custom  well  known 
in  those  times.  It  appears  that  in  Eastern  countries  when  a  mon- 
arch desired  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  distant  part  of  his  dominions,  he 
was  accustomed  to  send  his  messengers  before  him  to  demand  of 
the  inhabitants  of  every  part  through  which  he  was  to  pass  that 
they  should  make  his  road  easy  by  filling  valleys  and  cutting 
through  hills.  Precisely  in  the  same  way  was  John  the  Baptist  to 
prepare  the  way  for  Christ ;  he  came  proclaiming  a  King,  he  came 
declaring  the  conditions  without  which  the  Kingdom  could  not 
come,  and  without  which  the  King  could  not  reign.  Now,  the  first 
of  these  conditions  was  this :  he  prepared  the  way  for  Christ  by 
declaring  private  righteousness  preparatory  to  public  reformation. 

Brethren,  a  message  most  significant !  He  did  not  announce 
this  Kingdom  thus :  "  There  is  a  Kingdom  coming  whose  internal 
regulations  shall  be  so  perfect  that  misery  and  vice  shall  be  ban- 


200  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist. 

ished,  and  happiness  shall  come  without  any  effort;"  instead  of 
this  he  says,  sharply,  "  There  can  no  Kingdom  come  to  you  with- 
out the  preparation  of  the  heart."  And  herein  do  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  the  predictions  of  Christianity 
differ  from  all  other  anticipations  and  expectations  whatsoever. 
The  peculiarity  of  Christianity  is  not  the  expectation  of  better 
times,  for  every  one — the  whole  world — looks  forward  to  some- 
thing of  that  description.  Bat  the  difference  lies  in  the  order  in 
which  the  millennial  glory  is  expected ;  the  world  expects  better 
times  through  the  alteration  of  institutions,  the  Church  expects 
better  times  through  the  alteration  of  individuals ;  the  one  begins 
from  without,  the  other  from  within. 

Now,  to  take  an  example :  there  are  none  looking  forward  to 
better  times  more  earnestly  than  the  working  classes,  and  they 
are  taught  to  expect  it  through  the  instrumentality  of  govern- 
ment ;  their  leaders  tell  them  that  all  their  miseries  come  from 
bad  government,  and  that  Parliament  is  omnipotent  to  convey  to 
them  all  the  blessings  of  which  they  have  been  so  long  deprived. 
To  them  the  message  of  John  the  Baptist  must  be  again  and 
again  repeated,  the  old  severe  message,  that  kings  and  law  and 
governments  can  do  little,  almost  nothing;  and  that  the  advent 
of  better  times  for  the  working  classes  depends  on  their  own  per- 
sonal reformation,  chastity,  sobriety,  and  self-control.  But  then 
it  will  be  said,  is  this  your  message  to  the  poor — this  severe,  heart- 
less message  ?  Yes,  even  so ;  the  laws  of  the  universe  are  very  stern, 
alter  them  you  cannot.  It  would  be  far  more  easy,  far  more  pala- 
table, to  lay  the  blame  on  their  oppressors  rather  than  on  them : 
the  only  objection  to  such  a  course  is  the  stern  unalterable  law  of 
God's  universe.  The  law  of  life  is  this :  no  man  can  be  good  or 
great  or  happy  except  through  inward  efforts  of  his  own,  sus- 
tained by  faith  and  strengthened  by  the  grace  of  God.  The  mes- 
sage of  the  Baptist  must  be  repeated,  "  Change  yourselves,  or  to 
you  at  least  no  kingdom  of  God  can  come." 

Let  us  take  for  example  an  expectation  much  talked  of  now. 
It  is  held  by  enthusiastic  men  that  half  the  evils  of  the  world 
come  from  rivalry  and  competition  ;  and  if  we  could  substitute  for 
this  the  system  of  love,  we  might  then  have  blessedness.  Brethren, 
we  deny  not  that  beneath  all  this  there  is  a  truth ;  but  we  say  the 
Baptist's  words  remain  true,  and  that  if  we  get  rid  of  rivalry  we 
shall  have  selfishness  remain. 


Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist.  201 

Ao-ain,  it  is  tlie  hope  of  numbers  that  science  will  do  for  them 
what  politics  cannot  do.     We  are  told  to  expect  that  science  will 
by  degrees  banish  superstition,  and  that  it  will  do  away  with  all 
those  maladies  and  miseries  which  come  from  popular  ignorance. 
We  honor  science  in  its  place,  Ave  honor  it  as  the  discoverer  of 
many  of  the  laws  of  the  creating  God ;   but  we  must  remember 
that  it  has  its  own  place.     No  man  could  have  stood  last  summer 
in  that  structure  where  all  the  works  of  man  were  exhibited  in 
one  place,  without  hoping  great  things  for  the  human  race.    But, 
brethren,  again,  let  not  these  expectations  go  too  far;  let  us  remem- 
ber the  Baptist's  message  ;  science  can  do  something,  but  science 
cannot  bring  us  God's  Idngdom.    Wherein  consists  the  misery  of 
life—in  sickness,  or  in  seltishness?     Science  may  by  degrees  ban- 
ish superstition  ;  it  will  at  last  banish  among  Romanists  the  belief 
in  miracles  and  relics,  and  among  Protestants  the  belief  in  the 
magical  power  of  the  baptismal  water ;  but  can  science  answer  to 
the  heart  suffering  alone,  can  science  give  to  that  aching  heart  a 
home,  a  faith  ?   If  not,  then  what  we  want  is  not  a  kingdom  made 
comfortable  by  art  and  science,  but  a  kingdom  of  the  Redeemer, 
a  kingdom  of  the  cross  and  of  humbleness.     Therefore,  to  the 
philosopher  we  tell  of  a  wisdom  wiser  than  his  own,  we  speak  to 
him  of  one  whom  in  his  wisdom  he  would  despise — that  stern, 
uneducated  man  who  led  a  simpler,  humbler,  and  purer  life,  and 
whose  whole  life's  philosophy  uttered  itself  in  one  expression, 
which  was  the  voice  found  for  our  humanity,  "  Repent,  for  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand." 

The  next  manner  in  which  John  prepared  the  way  for  the  ad- 
vent of  the  Messiah  was  by  a  simple  assertion  that  right  is  right, 
and  wrono-  is  wrong.  In  the  text  we  find  it  written  as  the  char- 
acteristic of  that  preparation  that  "  the  crooked  shall  be  made 
straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain."  In  John,  at  least,  there  was 
no  crookedness ;  he  was  plain  and  straightforward  at  all  times ;  he 
called  things  by  their  right  names.  You  remember  the  stern  fidel- 
ity with  which  he  dared  to  say,  in  most  uncourtly  phrase,  "  It  is 
not  lawful."  You  remember  the  stern  fidelity  with  which  he 
dared  to  say  out  to  the  popular  religious  party  of  the  day,  in  lan- 
guage which  to  ears  polite  must  have  seemed  strange  indeed,  "  0 
generation  of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  Avrath 
to  come  ?" 

One  of  the  evils  ever  attendant  on  human  progress  is  that  of 

9* 


202  Character  and  Mission  of  the  Baptist, 

over-civilization,  a  tendency  to  make  life  artificial,  and  from  that 
which  is  artificial  to  pass  on  to  that  which  is  false.  Let  us  look 
to  our  own  time  ;  we  scarcely  know  how  deeply  our  own  common 
life  is  saturated  with  falseness.  Our  very  language  is  false :  we 
address  one  another  as  if  plural ;  it  would  be  considered  an  insult 
to  any  one  to  address  him  in  the  singular  number;  we  write  to 
one  another,  signing  ourselves  "  humble,"  "  faithful,"  "  devoted ;" 
we  accept  the  social  falsehood  of  permitting  it  to  be  said  that  we 
are  "  not  at  home,"  because  we  are,  perhaps,  too  tender  to  the  feel- 
ings of  our  friends  plainly  to  deny  them,  and  are  too  occupied  or 
too  unwell  to  see  them.  I  say  not  these  are  absolute  falsehoods, 
but  they  are  on  the  road  to  it ;  and  so  our  standard  comes  at  last 
to  measure  sins  by  their  publicity,  and  not  by  their  turpitude; 
and  then  comes  the  time  designated  by  the  prophet  when  "  the 
vile  man  is  called  liberal  and  the  churl  is  said  to  be  bountiful." 
We  start  at  the  vices  of  the  poor ;  while  among  the  rich  licentious- 
ness is  denominated  by  the  tender  name  of  wildness,  we  say  it  is 
a  bad  habit  contracted  in  youth.  O  brethren,  it  is  notorious  that 
the  standard  of  our  society  is  not  that  of  the  life  of  Christ. 

Now  you  will  observe  that  that  which  prepared  the  Baptist  to 
be  so  true  was  the  simple,  austere  life  which  he  led  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Had  he  identified  himself  with  any  of  the  parties  of  which 
we  spoke  last  Sunday,  then  doubtless  he  would  have  been  so  ac- 
customed to  their  evils  that  he  would  have  been  unable  to  see 
them  as  he  did,  and  would  have  felt  so  bound  up  with  one  party 
or  another  that,  had  he  spoken,  he  must  have  hurt  the  feelings  of 
a  friend.  But,  standing  aloof  from  all,  he  could  protest  in  the 
wilderness  against  all  the  vices  of  the  age. 

And  now,  brethren,  if  there  be  any  of  us  who  would  desire  to 
see  these  things  in  their  true  light,  the  principles  of  the  Baptist's 
life  must  be  his  ;  something  of  solitariness,  of  loneliness,  and 
something  that  forbids  us  to  identify  ourselves  with  any  faction 
or  party — a  willingness  to  stand  by  and  see  the  game  of  life  played 
without  us.  Then,  and  only  then,  alone  with  God,  determining  to 
view  things  as  Christ  would  have  viewed  them,  can  man  be  real 
and  true. 

The  last  way  whereof  we  have  to  speak  in  which  the  Baptist 
prepared  the  way  for  the  Messiah  was  by  teaching  simple  truths, 
falling  back  upon  first  principles.  We  find  in  the  chapter  from 
whence  the  text  is  taken  that  when  John  spoke  to  his  nation,  by 


Character  arid  Mission  of  the  Baptist.  203 

degrees  the  people  came  and  asked  liim,  "What  shall  we  do  then  ?" 
To  which  he  said,  "  He  that  hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to 
him  that  hath  none ;  and  he  that  hath  meat,  let  him  do  likewise." 
When  the  publicans  asked  the  same,  the  reply  was  only  this  :  "Ex- 
act no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed  you."  And  to  the  same 
question  from  the  soldiers  he  replies,  "Do  violence  to  no  man, 
neither  accuse  any  falsely,  and  be  content  with  your  wages."  You 
will  say  it  needed  not  a  prophet  to  tell  them  these  things,  nor  can 
we  call  this  a  revelation.  And  yet  such  have  ever  been  God's 
revelations,  to  call  men  back  to  simple,  first,  forgotten  principles. 
You  marvel  that  a  prophet  was  required  to  tell  them  these  things, 
but  let  us  remember  what  life  then  was.  If  you  had  asked  a  man 
what  was  religion,  he  would  have  said  that  it  consisted  in  daily 
services,  in  fastings,  and  in  giving  alms.  Nay,  if  the  same  ques- 
tion were  asked  now,  would  not  the  answer  be  greatly  similar? 
Conceive,  then,  with  what  a  sense  of  marvellous  astonishment  men 
must  have  listened  to  that  simple  prophet  of  the  wilderness,  say- 
ing to  them,  in  a  voice  of  thunder.  These  are  not  what  God  re- 
quires at  the  hand  of  man ;  His  service  is  "  to  love  mercy,  to  do 
justly,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  his  God."  In  other  words,  re- 
ligion and  goodness  are  things  identical.  Such  words  must  have 
come  to  these  artificial  men  with  a  strange  freshness  and  novelty. 
Brethren,  observe  that  this  was  to  prepare  the  way  for  Christ 
— it  was  preparatory  to  Christ,  but  not  Christ.  We  draw  the  dis- 
tinction between  the  baptism  of  John  and  the  baptism  of  Christ ; 
that  it  is  one  thing  to  bathe  the  soul  with  the  laver  of  duty,  an- 
other to  bathe  it  in  the  laver  of  self-sacrifice.  And  yet  in  all  ages 
of  the  world  the  baptism  of  John  must  precede  the  baptism  of 
Christ,  the  baptism  of  repentance  and  of  an  altered  life  must  go 
before  the  baptism  of  self-surrender.  There  are  two  things  which 
are  apparently  Christianity,  but  not  really  so,  the  spirit  of  devout- 
ness  and  the  spirit  of  moral  uprightness.  Take  the  conduct  of 
the  upright  judge  Gallio  as  an  instance  of  this :  he  was  a  stren- 
uous supporter  of  all  things  pertaining  to  law  and  order,  but 
when  it  came  to  matters  of  religion,  he  cared  for  none  of  those 
things.  Devoutness  also  may  exist  separate  from  morality,  as  we 
find  in  the  case  of  Jacob,  who  sought  the  blessing  of  God  at  the 
same  time  that  he  was  defrauding  his  brother.  It  is  even  so  now 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  those  who  will  applaud  denunciations  of 
Rome  in  the  morning,  and  spend  the  evening  in  calumny  and 


204  Christian  Forgiveness. 

slander.  Brethren,  the  history  of  John  the  Baptist  seems  to  tell 
us  that  it  is  not  a  matter  of  indifference  which  of  these  two  comes 
first  in  order ;  it  is  not  a  subject  for  the  self-congratulation  of  a 
parent  if  his  child  exhibit  strong  symptoms  of  devotion  unaccom- 
panied by  right  feeling,  or  if  he  show  great  love  for  his  Bible,  and 
is  yet  a  lying,  false,  undutiful  child.  God's  order  is  the  opposite, 
"  not  first  that  which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is  natural,  and 
afterwards  that  which  is  spiritual."  Better  to  begin  with  those 
qualities  which  are  apt  to  be  derided  by  the  name  of  worldly 
qualities  and  virtues,  such  as  simple  truth  and  integrity,  than  to 
begin  with  the  warmest  enthusiasm. 

This,  brethren,  is  the  preparation  of  the  way  for  Christ,  to  be- 
gin at  the  beginning ;  a  man  must  have  learned  to  be  just  before 
he  can  be  liberal,  honorable  before  he  can  be  generous ;  he  must 
have  learned  self-denial  before  he  dare  to  use  the  word  self-sacri- 
fice. The  foundation  of  the  cross  must  be  laid  deep — deep  in 
these  simple  worldly  virtues  of  honor,  integrity,  justice  :  then,  and 
only  then,  is  the  way  made  smooth  for  the  Redeemer  to  enter  into 
our  hearts ;  then,  and  only  then,  virtues  now  inconceivable  will  be- 
come not  only  possible,  but  absolutely  familiar. 


XXIX. 

CHRISTIAN  FORGIVENESS. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton,  March  28,  1852. 


"  Then  his  lord,  after  that  he  had  called  him,  said  nnto  him,  0  thou  wick- 
ed servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou  desiredst  me  :  sliouldest 
not  thou  also  have  had  compassion  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  pity 
on  thee?"— Matt,  xviii.  32,  33. 

The  subject  of  this  parable  is  the  danger  of  the  indulgence  of 
a  vindictive  spirit. 

The  necessity  of  enforcing  its  lessons  arises  from  the  fact  that 
Christian  forgiveness  is  not  the  natural  growth  of  the  heart,  but 
an  exotic  in  an  unkindly  soil. 

It  also  arises  from  the  circumstance  that  the  whole  temper  of 
the  world  around  us  thwarts  that  spirit.     The  natural  stiffness  of 


Christian  Forgiveness.  205 

persons  who  are  at  variance,  and  their  unwillingness  to  be  recon- 
ciled, are  so  encouraged  by  the  condolences  and  sympathy  of  mis- 
taken friends  that  our  society  in  one  cardinal  point  exhibits  few 
lineaments  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

The  occasion  of  this  parable  of  the  unmerciful  servant  was 
Peter's  question,  "  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against  me, 
and  I  forgive  him  ?  till  seven  times  ?" 

Now  this  was  the  language  of  human  nature,  somewhat  modi- 
fied. The  Rabbinical  law  of  forgiveness  was  until  three  times. 
Peter  doubled  this ;  and  gave,  as  he  thought,  large  latitude  for  the 
Messiah's  more  loving  system. 

Now,  remark,  this  was  exactly  the  principle  of  modern  honor. 
A  court  of  honor  would  decide,  as  Peter  did,  points  of  etiquette 
and  satisfaction.  Up  to  a  certain  point,  forgiveness ;  beyond  that, 
revenge.  Blows,  for  example,  must  be  wiped  out  with  blood. 
The  question  put  to  such  a  court  would  be,  What  is  satisfaction  ? 

This  allows  something  to  Christianity.  There  is  to  be  for- 
giveness. But  something  is  due  to  personal  rights ;  therefore  for- 
giveness is  to  be  limited.  And  hence  our  modern  honor,  great  as 
it  is  in  the  way  of  advance  over  old  heathen  or  savage  codes,  the 
Jaw  of  the  w^oods — over  such  a  proverb  as  that  chanted  in  old 
times,  "  If  Cain  shall  be  avenged  sevenfold,  truly  Lamech  seventy 
and  sevenfold  " — yet  can  only  be  called  half  heathen,  half  Chris- 
tian. 

To  this  question  Christ  replied,  "I  say  not  unto  thee,  until 
seven  times ;  but,  until  seventy  times  seven." 

Now  here  we  have  the  very  essence  of  Christianity.  Christian- 
ity is  a  spirit,  not  a  set  of  rules.  "  Seventy  times  seven"  is  a  He- 
brew expression.  It  is  not  a  definite,  but  an  infinite  number — a 
number  impossible.  Love  refuses  to  be  trammelled.  Can  you 
prescribe  to  a  parent  the  number  of  embraces  he  shall  give  his 
child  ?  Love  dies  in  captivity,  as  the  caged  bird  of  open  air  pines. 
Love  is  free  as  the  expanse  of  God's  own  heaven,  unlimited  and 
illimitable. 

In  illustration  of  this,  Christ  spoke  the  parable  of  the  unmer- 
ciful servant. 

Let  us  collect  what  it  suggests  respecting — 

I.  The  Christian  duty  of  confession. 

XL  The  principle  of  Christian  forgiveness. 


2o6  Christia7i  Forgiveness, 

I.  Confession  is  of  three  kinds : 

Confession  to  God  of  sins  committed  against  God. 

Confession  to  man  of  sins  committed  against  man. 

Confession  to  man  of  sins  committed  against  God. 

It  is  only  of  the  two  first  that  this  parable  says  anything.  The 
lord  of  the  servant  represents  God,  and  the  acknowledgment  of 
the  debtor  to  him  is  parallel  to  confession  to  God  of  sins  against 
God.  But  the  acknowledgment  of  the  second  debtor  to  his  su- 
perior servant  of  a  debt  owed  to  him  is  parallel  to  confession 
made  to  man  of  sins  committed  against  man. 

1.  Duty  of  confession  to  God. 

The  necessity  for  confession  arises  from  the  load  of  unacknowl- 
edged guilt.  As  it  is  expressed  in  our  Church  Service,  "The 
remembrance  of  them  is  grievous  mito  us,  the  burden  of  them  is 
intolerable." 

Let  me  appeal  to  you.  You  cannot  move  unforgiven  ;  you  can- 
not resist  temptation  ;  you  cannot  pray.  Is  it  not  so  ?  A  spell 
holds  you,  night  after  night,  that  will  not  let  you  kneel  ? 

But  do  not  fancy  yourself  safe  and  forgiven  because  you/ee/ 
no  burden.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  laden  slave  sleeping  on 
his  burden.  The  first  stages  of  mortification  alone  are  painful ; 
after  that,  the  benumbed  senses  cease  to  warn.  The  frost-bitten 
man  is  warned  by  strangers.  So  is  it  in  paralysis  of  conscience — 
in  the  benumbed  heart. 

Now,  there  are  two  ways  in  which  confession  relieves. 

First,  by  confession  we  sever  ourselves  from  our  sin,  and  we 
disown  it.  We  say,  "  I  put  it  from  me,  I  repudiate  it.  Not  I, 
O  Lord,  but  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.  I  plead  to  Thee  against 
myself.  I  struggle  to  the  foot  of  Thy  cross,  though  I  be  bound 
in  chains."  Such  was  the  immediate  relief  of  David :  "  I  have 
sinned."  Instantly  does  the  answer  come :  "  The  Lord  also  hath 
put  away  thy  sin;  thou  shalt  not  die."  Such  the  relief  of  the 
publican :  "  he  went  down  to  his  house  justified." 

Next,  confession  relieves  by  giving  a  sense  of  honesty.  So 
long  as  we  retain  sin  unconfessed  we  are  conscious  of  a  secret  in- 
sincerity. 

When  we  have  made  a  clean  breast,  we  feel,  "  I  can  do  no  more; 
all  rests  now  with  God.  At  least  I  am  true,  not  trying  any  long- 
er to  appear  what  I  am  not."  Just  as  a  captain,  bringing  his 
ship  into  port,  is  sleepless  and  restless  till  he  has  put  the  helm 


Christian  Forgiveness.  207 

into  the  pilot's  hands ;  but  then  folds  his  arras  and  stands  aside, 
responsibility  no  longer  resting  with  him.  He  may  perish,  but 
it  will  be  with  no  self-reproach.     He  has  done  all  he  can. 

Therefore,  let  confession  be  instantaneous.  We  are  tempted  to 
procrastinate.  We  say  that  we  cannot  confess  yet;  we  will  wait 
till  we  are  better. 

Now  see  the  lesson  of  this  parable.  The  servant  had  one  warm 
moment,  infinitely  precious,  before  imprisonment.  He  seized  that. 
With  warm,  urgent,  impetuous  feeling,  he  pleads:  "Lord,  have 
patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all." 

And  such,  in  the  strange  history  of  the  human  soul,  is  the  mo- 
ment for  mercy  or  hardness,  brief  as  the  interval  in  which  the 
dark  cloud  in  passing  shows  the  moon's  disk;  when  it  is  once 
past,  all  is  dark.  Seize  the  moment  of  strong  conviction,  of  ten- 
derness, of  apprehension.     Quick  !  quick  !  it  will  not  come  again. 

2.  Confession  to  man  of  sins  against  man. 

The  inferior  servant  freely  acknowledged  his  debt.  Observe  a 
peculiar  feature  in  the  case ;  the  other  "  took  him  by  the  throat, 
saying.  Pay  me  that  thou  owest."  It  might  have  seemed  that  in- 
jury cancelled  obligation,  or  that  acknowledgment  gave  an  ungen- 
erous foe  a  legal  hold  upon  him.     Yet  still  he  admits  the  debt. 

So  in  quarrels.  It  often  happens  that  he  who  has  offended 
most  is  not  the  one  who  has  offended  first.  Whereupon  the  first 
offender  thinks  himself  exonerated  from  the  duty  of  acknowledg- 
ment. And  this  makes  the  real  difficulty  of  mediation.  The 
case  is  complicated.  There  are  intricacies  and  recriminations ;  the 
first  simple  aspect  is  changed. 

Now,  the  plain  Christian  rule  is,  the  man  who  has  done  wrong 
has  no  right  to  consider  consequences.  Have  you  wronged;  re- 
pair. Have  you  erred ;  apologize.  You  may  put  a  weapon  into 
an  ungenerous  adversary's  hand  of  which  he  will  make  unfair  use. 
You  may  have  been  injured  beyond  the  injury  you  did.  It  is 
galling  to  humble  yourself  to  a  man  who  has  you  at  advantage ; 
yet  still  a  Christian  man  has  one  thing  only  to  consider.  His 
Christian  honor  can  only  be  tainted  by  ^Yhat  he  does,  not  by  what 
has  been  done  to  him. 

Now  contrast  with  this  the  principle  of  modern  honor. 

To  that  principle  which  is  called  honor  let  us  do  all  justice.  It 
was  an  immense  gain  and  step  beyond  the  old  heathen  and  savage 
life,  which  said,  Revenge  when  and  how  you  can.     It  was  a  great 


2o8  Christian  Forgiveness. 

gain  to  say,  Revenge  only  .  .  .  And  commendable,  too,  in  that  it 
taught  courage,  and  made  life  second  to  honor.  For  in  all  its 
forms  courage  is  to  be  honored.  A  brave  man  has  risen  above 
some  of  the  most  besetting  weaknesses  of  our  nature.  None  but 
a  brave  man  can  be  a  good  man.  The  very  tenderness  of  the 
coward  will  be  pitiful.  Even  when  it  only  bares  its  breast  to  an 
adversary's  sword,  honor  courage. 

But  now  look  into  this  world's  honor.  A  man  of  honor  re- 
sents the  charge  of  meanness.  He  will  not  refuse  to  pay  a  gam- 
bling debt,  but  he  will  live  extravagantly  when  he  cannot  pay  his 
debts.  He  is  indignant  at  an  imputation  on  his  courage ;  but  he 
will  injure  in  lower  ranks  of  life  where  redress  is  too  expensive 
to  be  possible,  and  no  father's  or  brother's  bullet  can  avenge  the 
injury. 

These  are  the  laws  of  honor!  These  be  your  men  of  gentle 
blood  1  This  is  the  personal  dignity  at  whoso  shrine  lives  of  oth- 
ers are  to  be  sacrificed,  and  the  blood  of  God's  creatures  to  be 
held  cheap — personal  dignity  separated  from  personal  worth — of 
which  the  Gospel  of  Christ  knows  nothing. 

Now,  with  this  modern  honor  contrast  the  spirit  of  Gospel  hon- 
or ;  the  honor  which  feels  itself  degraded  by  an  acknowledgment 
of  error  with  the  honor  which  teaches  through  the  Cross  that 
wrongs  received  cannot  shame  —  that  nothing  can  disgrace  but 
wrongs  done. 

Contrast  the  courage  which  can  risk  life  with  the  courage 
which,  for  Christ's  sake,  dares  to  be  called  a  coward  and  bear 
shame. 

The  first  noblest  attitude  of  man  is  innocence ;  the  second  no- 
blest, apology.  The  manliness  of  saying,  "  I  have  done  wrong, 
forgive  me,"  is  as  high  above  that  of  a  mere  man  of  honor  as  the 
brilliancy  of  heaven's  sun  transcends  the  glitter  of  an  earthly  lamp. 

n.  The  principle  of  Christian  forgiveness. 

God's  forgiveness  is  a  type  of  ours :  "  O  thou  wicked  servant,  I 
forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou  desiredst  me." 

First,  it  is  a  free  thing :  "  he  had  nothing  to  pay,"  "  and  the 
lord  was  moved  with  compassion,  and  forgave  him  the  debt." 
This  is  precisely  our  state. 

The  sum  was  enormous — ten  thousand  talents ;  the  revenue  of 
a  province,  the  upper  servant  being  a  viceroy.     It  was  a  sum  in 


Christian  Forgiveness.  209 

comparison  ^vitll  which  offences  of  any  man  against  us  are  as 
nothing. 

And  oh,  that  coming  to  account !  Opening  the  debtor's  books, 
and  finding  how  much  we  owe  !  Yet  one  day  the  reckoning  must 
come. 

Next,  God's  forgiveness  is  suspended  on  the  condition  of  our 
forgiveness. 

This  pardon  was  cancelled.  Here  is  a  difficulty.  How  can  we 
be  really  pardoned  if  the  past  is  remembered,  after  all?  How  can 
salvation  be  by  grace  if  there  be  a  condition  ? 

First,  let  us  prove  the  fact.  All  forgiveness  is  conditional :  "  If 
ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  Heavenly  Father  will  also 
forgive  you ;  but  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither 
will  your  heavenly  Father  forgive  your  trespasses."  Now,  then, 
proceed  to  understand  it,  remembering  it  is  a  fact,  whether  we  can 
explain  it  or  not. 

Forgiveness  implies  two  things,  favor  and  remission  of  punish- 
ment. God  forgives  if  He  heals  with  favor,  and  also  if  He  remits 
punishment.  You  may  be  in  favor,  and  yet  punished.  David 
was  forgiven,  but  the  child  died.  Sins  of  youth  are  visited  on  the 
justified  Christian.  Or  you  may  be  excused  punishment,  and  still 
not  be  forgiven.  As  Ahab,  who  "  went  softly,"  and  the  penalty 
did  not  fall ;  but  still  he  was  not  finally  accepted.  The  tree  in 
the  parable  was  condemned,  and  yet  respited. 

So  we  are  alive  by  sufferance.  Is  not  that  forgiveness  ?  You 
have  escaped  danger,  sickness,  death ;  and  you  are  treated  as  God's 
child — a  favor  or  forgiveness  that  would  be  eternal  if  not  for- 
feited. 

Next,  observe  that  a  condition  is  not  a  merit.  A  condition  is 
only  that  without  which  something  else  cannot  be.  The  tree  can- 
not be  struck  without  thunder,  but  thunder  is  not  the  cause  of  the 
tree's  fall.  Man  cannot  be  saved  without  forgiveness,  but  his  for- 
giveness is  not  the  cause  of  his  salvation.  Without  holiness  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord,  yet  holiness  is  not  merit.  Man  is  not 
saved  by  them,  yet  not  without  them. 

And  in  this  particular  case  it  is  quite  intelligible.  Salvation  is 
a  state  of  love.  An  unforgiving,  vindictive  heart  is  in  hell.  How 
can  it  be  saved  ?     It  i8  "  delivered  to  the  tormentors." 

Our  forgiveness,  therefore,  is  to  be : 

Unlimited  even  as  God's,  "  seventy  times  seven."    There  is  no 


2IO  The  Light  of  the  World. 

sin  whicli  man  can  do  wliicli  may  not  be  pardoned.  Tlie  Gospel 
is  built  on  unlimited  forgiveness. 

We  say  every  night,  "  Forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive 
them  that  trespass  against  us."  Think  what  the  revengeful  man 
ought  to  feel  when  he  prays  thus.  Ten  thousand  talents !  such 
are  my  transgressions  against  God,  and  yet  God  has  forgiven. 
But  there  is  a  man  who  has  injured  me  not  a  thousandth,  not  a 
ten  thousandth,  part:  and  I  will  take  him  by  the  throat,  and  say, 
"  Pay  me  that  thou  owest."  And  now,  O  Lord,  forgive  me  my 
transgression  and  my  sin  ! 

Observe  now  the  qualifications. 

1.  It  is  supposed  that  he  has  acknowledged  his  fault.  You  are 
bound  to  be  ready  for  a  reconciliation.  But  there  is  a  just  anger 
which  you  are  not  commanded  to  relax  against  an  impenitent 
man.  "  If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his 
fault  between  thee  and  him  alone ;  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou  hast 
gained  thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee  .  .  .  and  neg- 
lect to  hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  a  heathen  man  and 
a  publican." 

2.  God  forgave  David.  He  suffered  retribution  without  wrath. 
Yes,  and  it  may  be  that  although  forgiving  a  man  we  cannot  re- 
ceive him  as  before,  with  perfect,  hearty,  entire  forgiveness.  He 
has  forfeited  a  right  to  friendship,  and  is  refused  admission  to 
your  home.  You  have  no  rankling  feeling.  You  would  do  him  a 
service.  But  you  have  no  foolish,  weak  sentiment  which  would 
let  off  the  criminal  or  break  down  boundaries. 


XXX. 

THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 

(from  autograph  notes.) 

Brighton^  Christmas-datj^  1852. 

*'That  was  the  true  Light,  which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the 
world." — John  i.  9. 

Our  subject  is  the  Incarnation  of  Christ.  On  this  day  the 
Word  was  born  into  the  world ;  but  the  text  forbids  our  suppos- 
ing that  He  existed  then  for  the  first  time.     This  chapter  speaks 


The  Light  of  the  World.  2 1 1 

of  a  Word  which  had  been  forever  with  God  ;  which  had  created 
the  world ;  which  was  Light ;  which  had  illumined  all  men,  spe- 
cially one  class  whom  it  calls  "  His  own ;"  which  at  last  appeared 
in  Humanity,  and  was  "  made  flesh,"  and  was  seen,  "  We  beheld 
His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of 
grace  and  truth." 

According  to  this  view,  the  history  of  God's  human  race  is  the 
history  of  His  revelation  of  Himself.  He  has  revealed  Himself 
through  that  portion  of  His  essence  which  is  called  the  Word — 
that  which,  like  the  Reason  in  us,  expresses  itself  sometimes  in  a 
•word,  sometimes  in  a  symbolic  act.  But  the  Revelation  has  been 
ever  clearer,  nearer,  truer. 

There  has  been  a  threefold  revelation  of  the  Word : 


I.  Through  Nature :  "  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  w 


as 


made  by  Him,  and  the  world  knew  Him  not." 

H.  Through  Man :  "  That  was  the  true  Light,  which  lighteth 
every  man  that  cometh  into  the  w^orld." 

in.  Through  the  Incarnation  :  "  And  the  AVord  was  made  flesh, 
and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we  beheld  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father),  full  of  grace  and  truth." 

I.  The  Revelation  of  the  Word  through  Nature. 

"  In  the  beginning  " — before  the  world  was,  before  there  was 
ear  to  hear,  or  mind  to  understand — the  Mind  of  God  was  speak- 
ing with  Itself.     There  was  a  Word. 

Then  the  Word  is  spoken  of  as  mediating  between  the  Creator 
and  the  creation ;  bringing  the  world  into  being,  fashioning  it, 
giving  the  world  its  laws ;  dwelling  in  brute  unconscious  matter 
as  a  living  force ;  in  lower  creatures  as  a  life  and  instinct ;  im- 
parting reason  and  conscience  to  the  higher  beings. 

God's  Word  found  utterance  in  the  material  world,  in  Creation. 
The  time  came  when  He  had  to  speak  to  others,  and  take  them  to 
share  His  secrets.  God  said,  "  Let  there  be  light ;"  and,  as  the 
seal  impresses  its  own  self  on  the  wax,  light  thrilled  through  the 
universe. 

He  spoke  a  world  into  existence. 

Now,  observe,  truly  this  is  a  word :  "  Without  Him  was  not 
anything  made  that  w^as  made."  A  word  is  an  expression  or  a 
work.  But  there  are  many  kinds  of  words.  The  most  expressive 
of  all  words  are  not  those  which  the  lips  speak. 


212  The  Light  of  the  World. 

The  American  sculptor  gazed  upon  the  sky  on  a  summer's 
morning,  which  had  arisen  as  serene  and  cahn  as  the  bkie  eternity 
out  of  which  it  came ;  he  went  about  haunted  with  the  memory 
of  that  repose ;  it  was  a  necessity  to  him  to  express  it.  Had  he 
been  a  poet,  he  would  have  thrown  it  into  words ;  a  painter,  it 
would  have  found  expression  on  the  canvas;  had  he  been  an  ar- 
chitect, he  would  have  given  us  his  feelings  embodied,  as  builders 
of  the  Middle  Ages  embodied  their  aspirations,  in  Gothic  archi- 
tecture ;  but  being  a  sculptor,  his  pen  was  his  chisel,  so  he  threw 
his  thoughts  into  marble,  and  said  that  was  his  word  to  his  fel- 
low-creatures :  here  the  words  and  syllables  were  of  stone.^ 

So  this  world  is  God's  sculptured  work,  whereby  He  speaks  out 
Himself.  Every  night  the  curtains  are  rolled  away,  and  we  see 
what  daylight  had  hid.  Every  morning  the  curtains  of  light  are 
drawn  again,  and  we  look  down  on  a  world  of  speaking  beauty. 

And,  observe,  this  creation  is  represented  as  a  pervading  imma- 
nence. "  He  was  in  the  world,"  an  indwelling  of  Deity  in  matter, 
which  is  unconscious  of  His  presence.  Creation  was  by  indwell- 
ing. I  ask  you  to  remark  how  this  stands  contrasted  with  the 
un  scriptural  conception  of  creation  which  men  often  have.  What 
do  people  mean  generally  by  Creation?  They  mean  that  God 
made  the  world  as  a  watchmaker  makes  a  watch.  The  watch- 
maker makes  the  watch,  winds  it  up,  goes  away  from  it,  and 
leaves  it  to  go  by  itself ;  all  connection  between  him  and  it  then 
ceasing,  except  when,  from  time  to  time,  he  regulates  and  repairs 
it.  Just  so  God  made  the  world,  wound  it  up,  and  then  projected 
it  from  Himself,  and  left  it  to  go  on  by  itself ;  interfering  now  and 
then  in  great  emergencies  called  miracles.  And  so  at  some  spot  far 
distant  from  the  whole  the  great  Maker  sits !  Very  different  is 
the  view  of  creation  which  Christmas-day  presents.  God  is  "  in 
the  world,"  the  Life  of  all  that  is,  the  Vital  Force ;  not  giving 
laws,  but  Himself  the  Law.  And  it  is  the  very  fault  of  brute  ma- 
terialism that  it  does  not  recognize  this  august  Presence — the 
"  world  knew  Him  not." 

See  the  practical  value  of  this  truth.  All  have  learned  to  talk  of 
the  beauties  of  Nature;  but  with  most  men  it  is  a  mere  senti- 
ment. If  they  loved  Nature,  they  would  seek  her.  But  they  des- 
cant upon  her ;  and  then  show  their  love  of  Nature  by  going  away 

*  Extracted  from  Lecture  I.  on  "  Influence  of  Poetry."  MS.  contains  only 
the  words  "American  sculptor." 


TJie  Light  of  the  World,  2 1 3 

from  her  to  the  more  congenial  atmosphere  of  the  ballroom. 
And,  indeed,  to  any  one  who  does  not  feel  God  everywhere.  Nature 
ought  to  be  repulsive.  Have  we  not  felt  it?  Do  we  never  re- 
member a  time  when,  in  lonely  wood,  on  seashore  or  wide  plain, 
far  from  human  dwellings,  we  shrank  from  Nature  as  from  a 
dead,  soulless  machinery,  plunging  rather  into  the  crowds  of  men 
and  the  crowded  street,  because  in  the  one  place  there  was  death- 
fulness  and  in  the  other  life  ? 

Well,  now,  the  Bible  reveals  that  Christ,  the  Eternal  Word,  is  in 
Nature.  This  world  is  but  the  form,  of  which  Christ  is  the  Per- 
sonality ;  the  body,  of  which  the  soul  is  God ;  the  outer  appear- 
ance, of  which  the  reality  is  God,  and  which  mediates  between 
God  and  us.  Beneath  it  all  is  Life,  and  that  Life  is  God.  The 
beauty  of  the  sea-shell  and  of  the  field-flower  is  the  loveliness  of 
God;  the  Force  which  moves  the  waters  everlastingly  is  the 
mighty  movement  of  the  One  Living  Being;  the  instinct  which 
brings  the  wild  birds  in  long  lines  through  heaven  at  the  appoint- 
ed season  is  the  order  of  the  mind  of  God  in  them  even  though 
unknown  to  them,  "  He  is  in  them,  and  they  were  made  by  Him, 
and  know  Him  not." 

And  hence  we  find  that  in  those  passages  of  Scripture  which 
many  have  explained  away  as  figurative  there  is  a  deeper,  truer 
meaning.  All  Nature  has  a  voice,  every  created  thing  is  a  syllable 
or  sentence  of  the  Word :  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork."  They  are  the 
mediatino-  Word  of  the  Father.  It  is  the  Livino;  Word  which 
dwells  in  them,  and  makes  them  eloquent  of  God  to  us.  This 
world  is  an  everlasting  anthem  hymning  God's  secrets. 

H.  The  Revelation  of  the  Word  through  Man. 

The  Word  was  revealed  through  man  universally  and  specially 
— universally,  "  the  Light  which  lighteth  every  man ;"  specially, 
"  He  came  unto  His  own." 

1.  Universally. — "The  Light  which  lighteth  every  man." 
Through  the  senses  Christ  mediates  in  the  world ;  through  man 
in  the  reason  and  the  conscience  He  mediates  between  us  and 
God.  Remark,  this  was  not  a  limited  revelation,  it  is  to  "  every 
man."  Just  as  the  sunlight  shines  on  all — more  intensely  in  the 
tropics,  more  feebly  at  the  poles,  yet  still  shines  on  all — so  Christ 
speaks  to  all  who  are  sane. 


214  The  Light  of  the  World. 

Now,  here  \vc  are  apt  to  speak  atheistically.  We  talk  of  Nat- 
ure, Natural  Reason,  Light  of  Nature,  etc.,  as  if  these  were  con- 
trasted with  the  light  of  revelation,  contradicting  it,  and  were  not 
themselves  from  God.  It  is  not  so  that  Scripture  speaks  :  "  Every 
good  gift,  every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down  from 
the  Father  of  lights."  The  light  in  you,  whence  did  it  come? — 
Your  reason  and  your  conscience,  what  are  they  but  the  God 
within  you  ? 

Thus  the  old  Fathers,  when  considering  Plato  and  the  wiser 
heathens,  spoke  of  their  wisdom  as  the  unconscious  Christ  within 
them.  And  thus,  too,  in  the  Old  Testament,  rulers  and  judges  are 
called  "  gods :"  "  If  David  called  them  gods  unto  whom  the  word 
of  the  Lord  came,  and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken,  say  ye  of 
Him  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified  and  sent  into  the  world. 
Thou  blasphemest,  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God  ?" 

To  the  Society  of  Friends  has  been  granted  the  honor  of  vindi- 
cating this  truth  with  more  prominence  than  any  other  body. 
Their  apostle,  Fox,  took  his  stand  on  this  text :  "  The  true  Light 
that  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world."  He  assert- 
ed a  universal  Light.  And  it  is  only  at  our  peril  that  we  deny 
it.  Rightly  do  we  pray,  in  the  Communion  Service,  "  Cleanse  the 
thoughts  of  our  hearts  by  the  inspiration  of  thy  Holy  Spirit." 

2.  Specially. — "  He  came  unto  His  own." 

There  is  here  a  distinction  drawn  between  those  who  received 
the  light  common  to  every  man  and  woman,  and  those  who  re- 
ceived the  special  illumination  which  entitled  them  to  be  called 
"His  own."  These,  we  know,  were  the  Jewish  people — His  cho- 
sen. His  own  —  the  nation  which  had  the  Light,  the  inspired 
people. 

Here,  then,  we  reach  at  once  the  great  question  of  Inspiration. 
It  has  been  of  late  years  the  fashion  to  talk  of  the  inspiration  of 
genius,  to  recognize  the  poet  and  the  inventor  as  inspired  men. 
We  rejoice  that  it  is  so.  It  is  good  that  men  have  got  out  of  the 
old  atheism,  to  recognize  all  light  as  from  God,  and  all  wisdom  as 
the  breath  of  His  Spirit.  It  is  good,  therefore,  that  at  the  great 
gathering  of  nations  last  year  the  prayer  of  the  archbishop,  in 
presence  of  all  the  marvels  of  human  invention,  expressly  ac- 
knowledged them  as  the  results  of  Divine  Inspiration. 

But,  still,  let  us  clearly  keep  in  view  an  essential  difference. 
God  acts  out  of  the  spirit,  in  Nature — ivithin  the  spirit,  in  the 


The  Light  of  the  World.  2 1 5 

sonl.  All  He  breathes  tliere  is  inspiration.  Yet,  still,  what  we 
peculiarly  mean  by  inspiration  is  God's  acting  on  man's  higher 
spirit — his  worship,  his  reverence  of  moral  excellence  and  beauty. 
Genius  is  from  God ;  so  is  invention,  reason,  imagination ;  but  a 
man  of  genius  is  one  thing,  a  prophet  is  another.  In  this  peculiar 
sense,  the  Jewish  was  the  inspired  nation.  The  Jews  were  not 
great  statesmen,  artists,  men  of  science.  But  the  thought  of  God, 
the  sanctity  of  duty,  moral  and  spiritual  truth,  were  in  them  as  in 
no  other  nation  on  earth.  Hence  they  are  called  God's  chosen 
people — "  His  own." 

There  is  a  "  Light  that  lighteth  every  man,"  and  there  is  a  spe- 
cial light  from  God's  Spirit,  which  does  not  make  them  more 
clever,  nor  more  eloquent,  nor  wiser,  but  holier  men  than  others. 

in.  Revelation  of  the  Word  through  the  Incarnation.  "  The 
Word  was  made  flesh." 

A  time  came  when,  not  in  outward  form  and  sound,  but  through 
the  life  of  man,  God  was  to  speak :  "  The  Word  was  made  flesh." 
From  that  moment  the  life  of  a  man  was  God's  expression  of  His 
mind  to  us.  It  is  not  what  Jesus  said,  argued,  proclaimed — but 
what  Jesus  did.  The  eloquence  of  a  Life,  not  of  mere  syllables; 
nor  yet  the  system  of  theology  which  you  can  make  out  of  His 
sayings.  The  one  perfect  WORD  which  earth  has  heard,  her 
Creator's  Voice.     "  The  Word  was  made  flesh." 

Let  us  distinguish  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  on  this  subject 
from  other  doctrines  resembling  it.  In  the  Old  Testament  we 
read  of  certain  mysterious  appearances ;  as  when  God  appeared  in 
the  form  of  flame — in  Exodus  this  is  called  the  Lord ;  in  Hebrew 
speech,  the  angel  or  messenger  of  the  Lord.  Again,  a  man  appear- 
ed to  Abraham,  yet  it  is  said  Abraham  began  to  commune  with 
Jehovah.  Now  what  these  appearances  were  we  do  not  know — 
whether  material  or  visionary — but  certainly  they  were  not  incar- 
nations. The  form  of  flame  or  of  humanity  so  assumed  was  only 
assumed,  and  that  for  a  temporary  purpose.  Certain  early  oppo- 
nents of  Christianity  taught  this  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Incarna- 
tion. They  said  that  Christ  was  an  Appearance  of  God ;  that  He 
came  in  phantom  or  vision,  not  in  actual  flesh  and  blood,  not  with 
a  human  soul. 

Again :  in  the  Old  Testament  we  read  of  God  localizing  Him- 
self for  a  time  in  the  Temple  as  a  Shechinah  of  glory :  and  in  the 


2i6  The  Light  of  the  World, 

pillar  and  tlie  cloud.  AVe  read,  too,  of  His  dwelling  in  human 
beings,  in  Prophets,  with  a  transient  and  irregular  inspiration,  so 
that  sometimes  they  spoke  of  themselves  fallibly ;  sometimes  of 
God  infallibly.  Certain  early  heretics  taught  this  as  the  doctrine 
of  the  Incarnation.  They  said  that  God  dwelt  in  Christ  as  an  in- 
dividual, precisely  as  in  the  Shechinah,  or  as  in  the  prophets.  But 
that  the  Eternal  Word  and  Jesus  were  two  distinct  beings,  sepa- 
rable ;  and  that  when  the  Word  was  gone,  the  man  was  left  to  die. 

And  again :  in  the  Old  Testament  we  read  of  the  term  "god" 
given  to  men  because  of  their  performances.  Thus,  Jah  added  to 
Oshea  became  Joshua;  and  thus  in  Psalm  xlv.  11,  addressed  to  a 
royal  bride,  her  husband  is  spoken  of :  "  He  is  thy  Lord  God, 
worship  thou  him."  And  also  in  Psalm  Ixxxii.  6,  "  I  have  said 
[of  judges]  ye  are  gods."  In  the  same  way,  some  early  heretics 
affirmed  that  Jesus  was  God  only  in  this  sense ;  that  He  was  called 
God  because  of  His  spiritual  and  godlike  excellence. 

The  doctrine  of  the  creed  which  we  read  to-day  *  contradicts 
each  of  these  views.  It  says  that  He  was  "  God  of  the  substance 
of  the  Father  begotten  before  the  worlds,"  i.  e.  He  had  not  merely 
a  nature  holy  like  God's,  but  He  was  the  Word  with  a  human 
body  and  soul.  It  says  that  He  was  "man  of  the  substance  of 
His  mother,"  i.  e.  He  was  not  merely  a  phantom  or  angelic  vision. 
It  says  that  though  He  was  "  God  and  Man,"  yet  He  was  "  not 
two  but  one  Christ,"  i.  e.  the  Eternal  Word  did  not  enter  into  Him 
and  depart,  but  the  Human  and  the  Divine  are  one  forever,  just 
as  the  reason,  body,  and  soul  are  one  complete  man.  This  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  Incarnation. 

Now  see  the  application  of  it. 

1.  All  that  can  be  known  of  God  is  through  a  Revelation.  What 
is  the  doctrine  of  these  verses  ?  An  Eternal  Word  within  unfelt 
or  felt,  and  an  Eternal  Word  external  to  us,  making  the  Word 
within  felt  consciously,  and  kindling  it  into  higher  life. 

For  the  light  of  Revelation  is  not  contrary  to  the  light  of  Nat- 
ure, but  the  completion  of  it.  It  is  no  more  contrary  than  flame 
is  contrary  to  heat.  Heat  within  takes  fire  and  blazes  when  ex- 
ternal flame  is  applied.  So  the  Life  of  God  within  is  kindled  by 
the  Life  of  God  manifested  without  in  Christ.  And  this  is  the 
great  doctrine  of  St.  John.  An  inward  susceptibility  of  life  made 
*  Athanasian. 


Righteousness.  2 1 7 

alive:  an  inner  Light  kindled  by  an  outer  Light.  "  Christ  in  us" 
developed  by  Christ  manifested  without.  "  As  many  as  received 
Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God."  Ob- 
serve, they  were  the  sons  of  God  before :  unconsciously.  But 
when  they  received  Christ,  they  got  fresh  power ;  they  knew  them- 
selves God's  children,  and  got  strength  to  live  as  what  they  were 
by  right. 

2.  The  character  of  this  revelation  of  God  is  that  it  is  pro- 
gressive. 

All  history  is  the  account  of  God's  revealing  Himself  to  man. 
We  connect  together  these  three  facts — He  was  in  the  world : 
He  was  with  the  world :  He  was  made  flesh.  Remember  the 
gradations.  God  is  in  the  world,  unconsciously  in  the  brute  ani- 
mals, nearer  in  human  beings,  nearer  still  in  the  higher  specimens 
of  the  race,  nearest — awfully  more  near — in  Christ.  And  Advent 
has  taught  us  to  look  for  a  nearer  revelation  still,  a  day  when 


XXXI. 

RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

(from   AUTOGIIAPII    NOTES.) 


"  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  tliem,  Wliy  do  ye  also  transgress  the  com- 
mandment of  God  by  your  tradition  ?  Eor  God  commanded,  saying,  Honor 
thy  father  and  mother:  and,  He  that  curseth  father  or  mother,  let  him  die 
the  death.  But  ye  say,  Whosoever  shall  say  to  his  fother  or  his  mother.  It  is 
a  gift,  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be  profited  by  me  ;  and  honor  not  his  fa- 
ther or  his  mother,  he  shall  be  free.  Thus  have  ye  made  the  commandment 
of  God  of  none  effect  by  your  tradition.  Ye  hypocrites,  well  did  Esaias 
prophesy  of  you,  saying.  This  people  draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth, 
and  honoreth  me  with  their  lips  ;  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me.  But  in  vain 
they  do  worship  me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men." — 
Matt.  XV.  3-9. 

The  key  to  the  understanding  of  this  passage  is  sympathy  with 
the  heart  of  Christ.  It  is  impossible  to  understand  this,  or  any 
passage,  except  by  realizing  the  standing  occupied  by  Christ.  To 
understand  Christ  is  to  understand  Christianity.  Misunderstand 
the  life  of  Christ,  and  all  controversies  become  unintelligible — 
word-fights,  not  realities.     You  have  not  got  the  key. 

10 


2 1 8  Righteousness. 

Now,  tlie  exact  contrary  to  the  mind  of  Christ  was  the  mind  of 
the  Pharisee.  The  antagonism  between  them  was  complete.  They 
stood  opposed  as  pole  to  pole.  There  was  sympathy  between 
Christ  and  misery,  between  Christ  and  error,  between  Christ  and 
the  sin-entangled.  There  was  no  sympathy  between  Christ  and 
Pharisaism ;  because  there  is  none  between  the  real  and  the  un- 
real, or  between  the  true  and  the  false :  "  What  fellowship  hath 
light  with  darkness  ?" 

Consequently,  the  strife  between  them  was  to  the  death.  Be- 
tween His  life  and  theirs  there  could  be  no  compromise  and  no 
quarter.  They  saw  and  felt  this  as  well  as  He.  With  unerring 
instinct  they  discovered  their  foe.  Whatever  He  did  offended 
them.  Every  act,  every  word,  was  a  contradiction  of  their  life — 
jarred  on  them — went  against  the  grain. 

This  particular  instance  is  only  one  out  of  many.  At  the  first 
superficial  view  it  seems  only  a  question  respecting  the  degree  of 
observance  due  to  customs.  They  complained  that  He  transgress- 
ed the  Jewish  customs,  or  observed  them  too  little.  He  said  that 
they  observed  those  customs  too  much,  and  superstitiously.  But 
that  which  lay  at  the  root  of  the  controversy  was  something  deep- 
er. The  quarrel  Avas  no  trifling  one  of  words  and  ceremonies.  It 
was  the  great  ancient  quarrel — properly,  the  only  quarrel — the 
quarrel  between  the  real  and  the  unreal. 

Therefore  our  subject  divides  into  two  branches : 

I.  The  real  righteousness  which  God  accepts. 

II.  The  seeming  righteousness  which,  in  the  sight  of  God,  is 
vanity  and  nothingness. 

I.  Eeal  righteousness,  what  is  it? 

In  one  word,  it  is  surrender  to  the  will  of  God.  The  main 
thing  insisted  on  by  Christ  is,  God  commanded. 

Now,  distinguish  well.  A  duty  is  commanded  by  God  which 
is  spiritual  and  eternal.  To  honor  father  and  mother  is  an  ever- 
lasting obligation,  spiritual  and  moral.  The  essential  peculiarity 
of  this  commandment  is,  not  that  it  is  written  by  God  in  the 
Bible,  but  that  it  is  written  by  God  on  the  heart.  God  command- 
ed circumcision.  But  Christ  would  not  have  put  circumcision  on 
a  level  with  obedience  to  father  and  mother.  The  one  was  good- 
ness ;  the  other,  not  goodness.  The  one,  a  law  of  the  heart  for- 
ever; the  other,  the  requirement  of  a  certain  institution  for  a 


Righteousness.  219 

time.     The  righteousness  of  forms  is  not  the  righteousness  of 
faith. 

This,  then,  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  righteousness  which  is  evan- 
gelical. It  is  from  within;  it  is  life;  it  is  God  in  the  soul  of 
man  ;  it  is  the  life  of  the  spirit.  It  is  not  a  creed  got  by  heart ; 
it  is  not  a  set  of  habits  acquired ;  it  is  not  a  circle  of  customs 
scrupulously  observed.  It  is  a  life  within  working  outwards,  as 
Christ  has  himself  described  it — "  The  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 
This  is  the  righteousness  which  in  other  parts  of  Scripture  is 
called  the  "  righteousness  which  is  by  faith,"  or  the  righteousness 
which  is  a  "  walking  in  the  Spirit."  It  is  not  a  righteousness 
done,  but  an  infinite  yearning  after  a  righteousness  which  is  ever 
doing.  It  is  not  a  self-satisfaction  which  numbers  up  its  per- 
formances, but  an  infinite  humility  which  reckons  its  best  per- 
formances as  nothing. 

A  man  righteous  in  the  Christian  sense  may  seem  to  the  world 
proud,  reserved,  and  distant.  But  go  to  him  in  his  secret  mo- 
ments, and  overhear  his  soul  pouring  out  its  secret  consciousness, 
and  you  will  hear  language  startling  from  the  intensity  of  its  self- 
abasement.  Not,  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other 
men ;"  but, ''  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 
Now,  observe  a  peculiarity  of  this  righteousness. 
There  are  times  when  it  can  set  forms  at  nought,  neglecting 
them.  It  can  afford  to  make  nothing  of  them.  Christ's  disciples 
neglected  the  observance  of  the  very  honored  custom  of  washing 
the  hands  when  they  ate  bread.  Consider  what  might  have  been 
urged.  This  is  an  old  time-honored  observance.  You  owe  re- 
spect to  constituted  authorities.  Who  are  you  that  presumptu- 
ously set  yourselves  up  against  the  customs  of  your  Church  and 
country  ?  Such  things  were  said.  But  the  disciples  minded  them 
not,  and  Christ  supported  them  in  their  neglect. 

Let  us  understand  this.  Doubtless  it  is  a  duty  to  comply  with 
-customs,  social  and  ecclesiastical.  A  man  who  sets  them  at  defi- 
ance is  a  man  of  a  presumptuous  spirit.  But  there  are  periods 
when  the  forms  of  society  become  thoroughly  false.  Then  the 
strong  true  man  breaks  through  the  cobwebs  of  etiquette,  assert- 
ing the  real  courtesies  of  the  heart.  And  there  are  times  when 
priests  and  parties  multiply  observances  till  life  is  trammelled,  and 
make  things  essential  which  are  not  essential.    Then  it  becomes  a 


220  Righteousness. 

duty,  if  we  would  imitate  Christ,  to  assert  Christian  liberty,  and 
to  refuse  to  be  bound  by  the  cry  of  custom,  modesty,  or  consti- 
tuted authority.  There  is  a  time  when  it  is  right  to  say,  "  Don't 
wash  hands." 

II.  The  seeming  righteousness,  which,  in  the  sight  of  God,  is 
vanity  and  nothingness. 

The  Pharisee  placed  righteousness  in  obedience  to  tradition. 
Tradition  is  something  handed  down,  passed  on ;  in  other  words, 
sanctified  by  custom. 

Observe,  when  Christ  distinguishes  between  God's  command  and 
tradition,  it  is  not  a  distinction  between  written  and  oral,  but  be- 
tween essential  and  customary.  Obedience  to  parents  was  an  ob- 
ligation of  everlasting  life.  To  wash  the  hands  was  an  obligation 
due  to  venerable  custom. 

The  spirit  of  tradition  says.  It  is  old,  therefore  it  is  sacred ;  it 
has  been,  therefore  it  should  and  shall  be.  And  so  religion  be- 
comes stereotyped. 

And,  asain,  observe  it  is  not  a  distinction  between  ceremonies 
commanded  by  God  and  ceremonies  invented  by  men ;  but  be- 
tween ceremonies  and  Ufe.  Men  commanded  washing  of  hands, 
cups,  pots,  brazen  vessels,  and  tables.  But  it  was  not  because  men 
commanded  it,  but  because  it  was  an  outward  act,  that  Christ  de- 
preciated it.  God  commanded  circumcision  and  sacrifice.  But 
prophets  spoke  lightly  of  circumcision,  and  Christ  abolished  it. 
In  his  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  He  spoke  as  lightly  of  ceremonies 
imposed  by  Moses  as  of  ceremonies  imposed  by  rabbis :  "  Ye  have 
heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time,  .  .  .  but  I  say  unto 
you."  A  ceremony  was  not  sacred  because  imposed  by  Moses, 
and  profane  because  imposed  by  a  rabbi.  A  ceremony  is  but  a 
ceremony,  even  if  imposed  by  God  or  Christ.  Circumcision  was 
imposed  by  God,  yet  St.  Paul  says,  *'  Circumcision  is  nothing." 
Baptism  was  ordained  by  Christ ;  but  baptism  is  sprinkling  with 
water,  and  it  stands  forever  distinguished  from  the  obedience 
which  is  life. 

Now,  the  religion  of  Pharisaism  makes  custom  paramount  to 
moral  and  spiritual  life.  It  identifies  rehgion  with  arbitrary  rules 
and  customs  of  worship.  And  the  steps  by  which  Pharisaism 
makes  the  commandment  of  God  of  none  effect  are  two : 

1.  It  begins  by  insisting  on  obedience  to  customs  as  necessary. 


Righteous  Jicss.  221 

Here  tlie  first  stand  is  to  be  made.  Here  tlie  first  danorer  be- 
gins.  After  periods  of  irregularity  and  laxity,  reformers  begin 
with  restoring  customs,  insist  upon  tliem,  lay  stress  upon  tliem. 
You  cannot  insist  on  tliem  long  without  leaving  an  impression 
that  they  are  essentials. 

A  Pharisee  of  former  times  would  have  doubted  a  man's  good- 
ness if  he  did  not  wash  before  meals.  A  formalist  of  modern 
times  would  think  the  omission  of  baptism  a  crime  as  great  as 
disobedience  to  a  parent. 

Now,  let  it  be  said  plainly,  God  will  not  send  a  soul  to  eternal 
perdition  because  the  man  was  not  circumcised  ;  God  will  not  give 
eternal  Iiell  because  a  man  has  not  been  baptized. 

2.  The  second  step  is  to  insist  on  customs  as  more  necessary 
than  spiritual  life,  till  gradually  they  supersede  moral  obligation. 

Let  us  explain  this  particular  case.  There  was  a  habit  of  de- 
voting property  to  the  priesthood — God's  ministers ;  therefore  to 
give  to  a  rich  priest  was  religion.  To  give  to  a  poor  layman  was 
only  moral.  To  touch  the  money  or  property  so  devoted  was 
sacrilege :  it  was  "  corban."  At  last  a  curious  perversion  came. 
If  a  man  wanted  to  evade  the  obligation  of  supporting  parents,  he 
announced  his  property  to  be  corban.  It  was  then  sacred.  Thus 
a  distinction  was  made  between  the  religious  and  the  moral.  And 
the  so-called  religious  superseded  the  moral  duty. 

Now,  this  is  a  tendency  of  human  nature :  it  was  not  Jewish 
only.  Here  it  is  said  that  Isaiah  prophesied  it.  But  that  does 
not  mean  predicted.  Isaiah  was  speaking  to  the  men  of  his  day, 
not  of  Christ's  day.  But  because  inspiration  deals  with  princi- 
ples, not  with  special  cases,  what  he  said  was  just  as  true  in 
Christ's  day.  This  is  prophecy,  and  prophecy  is  of  all  ages. 
This  tendency,  then,  did  not  belong  to  Christ's  day  only.  There 
is  a  great  proneness  in  human  nature  in  every  age  to  evade  a  duty 
under  pretence  of  religion. 

[Early  mistakes.  —  Mother  at  prayer-meetings. — Refusal  of  a 
duel. — Requests  of  charity.] 

The  results  of  this  Pharisaical  scrupulosity  are  twofold: 
1.  Moroseness  of  disposition  and  censoriousness.     The  Phari- 
sees were  scandalized  by  Christ's  behavior.     They  held  up  their 
hands  in  pious  astonishment :  "  Why  do  Thy  disciples  transgress 
the  tradition  of  the  elders  ?" 


222  Rio-httoiisncss. 


o>' 


Singular  how  inevitably  Pliarisaical  scnipnlosity  ends  in  a  snarl- 
ing censoriousness !  From  the  days  when  the  Pharisee  numbered 
his  observances  in  the  Temple,  and  turned  round  on  "  this  publi- 
can," until  now,  it  has  ever  been  the  same. 

Goodness  expands  the  heart  and  makes  it  humble.  The  larger, 
the  better,  the  nobler  your  heart  is,  the  more  you  will  be  inclined 
to  make  allowance  for  others,  and  the  more  you  will  say  and  feel, 
*'God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  But  the  more  you  indulge 
the  notion  thit  you  can  please  God  by  customs,  be  they  ever  so 
time-honored,  the  more  you  will  contract  the  Pharisaical  habit  of 
Avatching  and  blaming  others.  You  will  go  away  from  church 
with  pious  astonishment  that  some  neighbor  was  not  there  who 
ought  to  have  been.  You  will  kneel  month  by  month  at  the 
Lord's  supper,  miss  neither  Easter-day  nor  Good-Friday,  and  go 
away  to  wonder  what  were  the  reasons  for  your  neighbor's  ab- 
sence. And  then  your  religion  will  be  the  religion  of  the  Phari- 
sees. You  will  be  evading  the  eternal  law  of  charity  under  the 
pretence  of  what  you  call  religion. 

2.  A  second  result  of  this  scrupulosity  is  hypocrisy. 

"  In  vain  do  they  worship  Me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men."  In  vain — i.  c.  their  religion  is  no  religion, 
but  emptiness.  As  St.  James  says,  "  If  any  man  among  you  seem 
to  be  religious,  and  bridleth  not  his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own 
heart,  that  man's  religion  is  vain." 

Observe,  we  use  hypocrisy  not  in  the  modern  sense  of  pretend- 
ing to  be  what  men  know  they  are  not — the  Pharisees  thought 
they  were  religious — but  in  the  sense  of  wearing  a  mask,  accord- 
ing to  the  original  derivation  of  the  word. 

And  see  how  dano-erous,  then,  what  the  man  calls  his  religion 
becomes,  because  it  hides  him  from  himself.  Faultless  in  the  eti- 
quette of  social  life,  without  one  omission  in  those  ecclesiastical 
observances  which  are  to  him  religion  alone,  how  shall  he  know 
that  he  is  not  religious  in  the  sight  of  God?  How  shall  he  be 
made  to  feel  that  his  religion  is  a  mask  which  covers  his  want  of 
goodness  ? 

Relio-ion  is  goodness.  To  love  God  and  to  love  man  is  Chris- 
tianity ;  all  else  is  only  husk  and  shell. 


The  Peace  of  God,  22 \ 


XXXII. 

THE   PEACE   OF  GOD. 

"Peace,  peace,  to  liira  that  is  far  off,  and  to  liim  that  is  near,  saith  the 
Lord  ;  and  I  will  heal  him.  But  the  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  when 
it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.  There  is  no  peace,  saith 
my  God,  to  the  wicked." — Isa.  Ivii.  19,  20. 

There  was  a  time  when  religion  was  the  healthy  and  the  natu- 
ral state  of  man's  soul.  Whatever  may  be  the  literal  meaning  of 
those  strange  passages  which  tell  of  a  garden  in  Eden,  and  God 
walking  in  that  garden,  this,  at  least,  is  plain,  that  man's  pulse 
once  beat  with  love  to  God  as  naturally  as  the  current  of  blood 
ran  which  carried  health  and  vigor  through  his  frame.  And  this, 
besides,  is  plain,  that  over  all  that  there  has  passed  a  change. 
Man's  religion  then  was  the  religion  of  spontaneous  innocence ; 
the  only  religion  left  open  to  man  now,  the  only  religion  possible, 
is  the  religion  of  penitence.  It  is  this,  my  brethren,  which  makes 
the  Gospel  from  first  to  last  to  bear  the  character  of  a  system  of 
cure.  It  is  not  a  work  of  improvement  for  a  nature  which  is  al- 
ready good,  it  is  a  work  of  remedy  for  a  nature  which  has  become 
diseased.  There  is  one  word  in  this  passage  which  marks  out  the 
peculiar  character  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ :  "  I  will  lieal  him."  It 
is  a  healing  process.  And  it  is  this  which  so  peculiarly  endears 
the  Gospel  to  every  man  who  is  conscious  of  frailty  and  inward 
pollution.  For  if  it  be  asked  in  one  word  what  the  Gospel  is,  we 
answer,  it  is  all  that  apparatus  of  remedy  by  which  a  weak,  erring, 
and  guilty  spirit  may  get  back  again  the  strength  and  the  purity 
which  it  has  lost. 

There  is  one  thing  which  we  all  want,  and  one  thing  which,  in 
different  ways,  we  are  all  seeking  after.  "When  religion  passed 
away  from  man's  bosom,  it  was  only  according  to  the  necessities 
of  his  constitution  that  peace  should  pass  away  with  it.  And  now 
the  history  of  all  the  tumult  that  this  world  exhibits  is  just  this, 
that  men  are  in  pursuit  of  rest.  Restless  !  "Why  ?  because  not  at 
rest.     Rest  is  the  great  want  and  the  passionate  craving  of  our 


224  The  Peace  of  God. 

nature.  "VVe  are  here  in  this  world  tossing  about  in  the  dark 
dream  of  a  most  feverish  existence ;  not  satisfied  witli  ourselves, 
and  ventino;  our  dissatisfaction  on  the  circumstances  in  which  God 
has  placed  us.  We  want  something  new,  and  the  satisfying  toy 
never  comes.  That  is  the  history  of  a  life  of  excitement ;  that  is 
the  history  of  the  gambling  earnestness  of  mercantile  speculation ; 
tbat  is  the  history  of  every  rivalry  and  every  disappointed  attach- 
ment and  every  life  weariness  which  this  world  exhibits.  Men 
want  peace,  and  the  world  has  said,  "  Peace,  peace  !"  and  they  find 
that  "  there  is  no  peace."  And  so  it  comes  to  pass  that  we  go  on, 
through  boyhood  and  manhood  and  old  age,  struggling  and  hop- 
ing and  disappointed ;  ever  seeming  near  to  peace,  and  never  plac- 
ing our  grasp  upon  it,  till  there  is  but  one  chance  of  rest  left — the 
quiet  and  the  silence  of  the  grave. 

And  now,  brethren,  we  observe  there  are  two  ways  of  seeking 
peace ;  there  are  two  promises  made  to  the  craving  human  heart 
exactly  the  same  in  words,  diametrically  opposite  in  meaning. 
There  is  the  word  promised,  "  Peace,  peace,"  and  God  answers 
that,  in  the  words  of  this  text,  "  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God, 
to  the  wicked!"  and  there  is,  besides  that,  Christ's  promise, 
"Peace,  peace  to  him  that  is  far  off,  and  to  him  that  is  near." 
The  world  proposes  to  fulfil  her  promise  by  gratifying  nature ; 
the  Gospel  proposes  to  fulfil  its  promise  by  expelling  nature.  The 
world's  method  is  this,  "Gratify  the  desire  that  burns  within  you. 
So  long  as  it  lasts,  it  is  your  passion  and  your  torment.  Slake  it 
by  indulgence,  and  be  at  rest.  My  peace  means  the  satisfying  of 
every  inclination."  There  is  a  meaning  and  a  truth  in  that 
promise,  brethren ;  and  if  only  there  were  no  other  world 
but  this,  and  if  only  there  were  no  judgment  to  come,  and  if 
only  there  were  no  such  thing  as  conscience,  the  man  who  denies 
himself  nothing  would  be  the  man  who  gets  rest  from  himself  and 
from  the  fever  that  burns  within  him.  It  would  be  wise  and  well 
to  live  as  men  live  on  the  world  principle,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink, 
for  to-morrow  we  die."  Now,  the  peace  which  Christ  proclaims 
is  not  this  peace  at  all,  but  another  altogether.  The  world's  peace 
is  the  indulgence  of  the  heart  as  if  it  were  in  a  state  of  health — 
"  Let  nature  have  her  way ;"  Christ's  peace  is  the  healing  of  a  dis- 
ordered heart.  It  does  not  consist  in  giving  the  rein  to  desires, 
but  in  mastering  them.  It  consists  in  placing  the  whole  soul 
under  the  discipline  of  the  Cross,  and  "  bringing  into  captivity 


The  Peace  of  God.  225 

every  thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  We  are  "sick  to 
death,"  sick  of  our  own  selfishness  and  our  own  unregenerated 
hearts ;  and  we  are  here  in  this  world  to  be  cured. 

These,  brethren,  are  our  only  two  hopes  of  rest.  The  world's 
peace  comes  by  adding  fuel  to  the  fever ;  Christ's  peace  comes  by 
curing  it.  And  there  is  not  a  man  in  this  congregation  who  is 
not  resting  his  faith  and  his  expectation  of  rest  on  one  of  these 
promises  or  the  other.  There  is  not  one  who  has  immersed  him- 
self in  business,  and  there  is  not  one  who  has  hidden  himself  like 
Adam  in  the  trees  of  this  world's  garden  of  enjoyment,  who  does 
not  hope  to  find  in  his  own  way  the  rest  which  his  spirit  needs. 
Through  the  path  of  guilt,  or  through  the  path  of  restlessness,  we 
are  all  seeking  rest.  In  life's  retirement  or  in  life's  bustle  it  is  the 
same  pursuit  in  different  forms.  Seek  on  we  must,  till  we  win  or 
miss  forever. 

In  considering  the  promise  of  rest  which  comes  from  the  lips 
of  God,  we  shall  examine  two  connected  subjects  which  are  con- 
tained in  these  verses : 

I.  The  struggle  of  an  earnest  soul  towards  peace. 

II.  The  exclusion  of  a  guilty  soul  from  the  possibility  of  peace. 

I.  The  struggle  of  an  earnest  soul  towards  peace. 

1.  Now,  the  first  step  in  the  struggle  of  man's  soul  tow^irds 
peace  is  made  by  treading  on  the  ruins  of  human  pride.  One 
source  of  human  restlessness — one  reason,  at  least,  why  men  pass 
through  this  world  chafing,  fretful,  and  dissatisfied  with  their  lot 
in  life  is  just  this,  that  they  have  formed  an  overweening  estimate 
of  self,  and  they  find  that  neither  God  nor  man  treats  them  as 
they  think  that  they  deserve.  And  then  when  a  man  comes  to 
the  close  of  his  existence,  he  begins  to  feel  as  if  he  had  not  had 
justice  done  him — he  has  not  been  rightly  valued,  he  has  not  been 
understood,  he  is  not  where  he  ought  to  be,  and  so  he  bears  on 
his  countenance  the  marks  of  a  disappointed  man.  It  is  the  ado- 
ration of  self  that  makes  men  miserable.  It  is  that  strange  greed- 
iness of  praise  which  gives  contempt  its  power  to  wound  us. 
For,  only  let  it  be  known  to  a  proud  spirit  that  one  man  has 
sneered,  it  matters  not  that  the  world  is  deafening  him  with  its 
admiration,  that  sneer  will  shoot  a  pang  of  wretchedness  through 
the  hour  of  his  proudest  triumph. 

And  now,  brethren,  the  first  thing  the  Gospel  does  is  to  crush 

10* 


226  TJie  Peace  of  God. 

that  spirit  of  self-esteem.  At  the  foot  of  the  Cross  there  is  no 
room  for  pride.  The  Cross  read  out  this  lesson  to  the  world : 
merit  is  impossible  before  God.  We  are  not  claimants  for  reward, 
we  are  but  suppliants  for  life — a  life  which  has  been  forfeited  by 
guilt.  Once  get  that  truth  by  heart  that  you  are  nothing,  and 
you  can  never  suffer  again  from  wounded  pride.  Has  this  world 
neglected  you,  my  Christian  brother  ?  Has  it  not  appreciated  you, 
not  honored  you,  not  given  you  the  position  to  which  you  thought 
yourself  entitled?  Well,  my  brother  in  sin,  and  what  right  had 
you  to  demand  that  it  should  give  you  anything?  Learn  this 
first,  how  much  do  you  deserve  on  God's  earth  ?  And  if  it  should 
turn  out  that  you  deserve  nothing  and  have  received  little,  then 
calculate  whether  you  have  been  defrauded.  Oh,  my  brethren, 
when  we  have  passed  through  the  first  humbling  smart  of  that 
conviction,  and  when  we  are  content  to  stand,  as  it  were,  uncloth- 
ed before  God,  without  one  claim  upon  Him  except  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  there  is  one  step  made  towards  peace,  and  then  our 
hot,  swelling  hearts  may  find  rest ;  and  all  that  burning,  seething 
tumult  with  which  our  proud  bosoms  throb  over  our  fancied 
slights  and  our  imaginary  injuries  will  be  at  rest.  When  first 
the  humility  of  the  Gospel  takes  possession  of  our  souls,  it  is  the 
dawn  of  a  morning  which  goes  before  an  everlasting  day  of  calm- 
ness and  serenity. 

2.  The  second  step  which  a  Christian  makes  in  his  progress 
towards  peace  is  the  attainment  of  a  spirit  of  reconciliation.  If 
there  were  nothing  else  to  make  men  wretched,  uncertainty  re- 
specting their  future  destinies  would  be  enough.  We  are  going 
down  into  eternity,  and  its  waves  are  rising  to  ingulf  us,  every 
day  nearer  and  darker ;  and  if  we  have  only  a  "  perhaps  "  to  meet 
it,  and  all  beyond  the  moment  of  ingulfment  is  utter  and  con- 
fused uncertainty,  and  a  most  vague  ignorance  whether  the  God 
whom  we  are  to  meet  for  the  first  time  be  satisfied  or  not,  I  say 
not  that  there  is  not  steel  and  manhood  enough  in  the  heart  of 
man  to  meet  that  calmly :  there  is — hundreds  are  doing  it  every 
hour,  timid  women  and  resolute  men,  quietly  w\itching  their  own 
decay  and  fronting  death  unflinchingly — but  I  say  this,  that  there 
is  no  peace^  there  is  no  rest,  in  the  prospect  of  eternity  unless  there 
is  something  very  much  more  than  a  guess  that  God  is  loving  us. 
It  is  one  thing  to  meet  death  intrepidly,  and  it  is  altogether  an- 
other to  meet  it  peacefully  and  trustfully. 


The  Peace  of  God.  227 

Now,  there  is  an  observation  that  we  have  to  mate  respecting 
this  peace  of  reconciliation.  There  are  two  classes  of  persons  who 
are  privileged  to  feel  reconciliation  with  God ;  but  the  character 
of  their  peace  is  somewhat  different.  Peace  is  enjoj-ed  by  those 
who  have  been  in  covenant  with  God,  as  it  were,  during  all  their 
lifetime ;  and  peace  is  attainable  by  those  who  have  only  received 
His  forgiveness  late.  There  is  this  difference  distinctly  asserted 
in  the  text,  "  Peace  to  him  that  is  far  off,"  and  "  Peace  to  him 
that  is  near." 

In  the  first  place,  then,  we  draw  this  doctrine  from  the  text, 
that  there  is  peace  for  those  who  have  remained  through  life  near 
to  God.  Such  men  there  are  spoken  of  in  the  New  Testament  as 
the  "ninety  and  nine  just  persons  who  need  no  repentance." 
And  such  a  one  seems  represented  to  us  under  the  character  of 
the  elder  son  in  the  parable,  who  had  not  wandered  from  his 
home  to  seek  his  fortunes  in  the  world.  There  are  some  in  this 
world  whose  religious  growth  has  been  so  quiet,  so  regular,  so 
steady,  that  they  are  altogether  unconscious  themselves  of  the 
vastness  of  the  work  that  God  has  been  doing  in  their  souls.  For 
the  fact  is,  we  are  not  conscious  of  those  changes  which  go  on 
quietly  and  gradually  in  the  soul.  We  only  count  the  shocks  in 
our  journey.  And  if  there  has  been  no  sudden  conversion,  no 
impetuous  and  tumultuous  feeling  of  reconciliation,  you  may 
speak  to  such  men  of  what  are  called  religious  experiences,  but 
they  have  very  little  account  to  give  you.  And  this  is  the  history 
sometimes  of  those  who  have  been  nurtured  in  religious  families. 
They  have  imbibed  the  atmosphere  of  religion  without  knowing 
it ;  and  so  they  go  on  loving  God  quietly,  unostentatiously,  doing 
simple  duties  happily,  without  speaking  of  them,  till  duty  has 
become  a  habit,  and  religion  has  become  the  very  element  of  life. 
These  are  not  the  conspicuous  Christians,  but  they  are  the  affec- 
tionate, cheerful,  tender  ones  in  the  family  circle ;  they  are  the 
Christians  of  that  strict  integrity,  that  high-mindedness,  which 
governs  hospitality ;  that  scrupulous  attention  to  what  some  call 
contemptuously  moral  duties  which  more  impassioned  Christians 
often  fail  to  exhibit. 

Now,  there  is  something  peculiar,  brethren,  in  this  peace.  The 
peace  of  men  who  have  been  religious  from  childhood  is  a  very 
different  thing  from  the  keen  luxury  that  attends  the  return  of  a 
prodigal  son,  bnt  it  is  the  best  on  the  whole.     It  has  more  of 


228  The  Peace  of  God, 

heaven's  deep  tranquillity.  It  has  more  of  childlike  intimacy 
with  God.  The  deepest  peace  is  that  which  is  scarcely  conscious 
of  its  own  peacefulness :  "  Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all  that 
I  have  is  thine,"  but  he  did  not  know  this  till  he  was  told.  Oh, 
there  is  a  great  mistake  that  we  make  about  this.  We  think  this 
peace  a  dull  thino-.  We  look  down  upon  such  men,  and  smile 
at  their  simplicity,  and  despise  the  monotony  of  their  existence. 
There  is  a  purity  and  innocence  of  heart,  a  simplicity,  an  igno- 
rance of  evil,  which  men  who  have  got  their  minds  enlarged  by 
eating  of  the  "  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil"  look  down 
upon  with  a  contemptuous  pity.  But,  brethren,  it  is  God's  best 
peace,  enjoyed  by  them  that  are  "  near."  Let  us  remember  this. 
Serenity  and  pure-heartedness  are  the  kind  of  peace  that  has  most 
of  heaven.  It  is  better  than  religious  rapture.  The  rapture  that 
comes  from  pardoned  guilt  is  like  the  fire-rocket  that  streams  and 
blazes  through  the  black  sky,  making  everything  brilliant  for  a 
moment,  and  forcing  men  to  look  at  it ;  the  peace  of  him  that 
has  lived  near  to  God  is  like  the  quiet,  steady  lustre  of  the  light- 
house lamp,  startling  no  one,  very  easily  mistaken  for  a  common 
light,  but  never  quenched ;  ever  to  be  found  when  wanted,  casting 
the  same  mild  ray  through  the  long  night  across  the  maddest  bil- 
lows that  curl  their  crests  around  the  rock  on  which  it  stands. 
That  is  the  kind  of  peace  enjoyed  by  him  that  is  near. 

There  is  another  class  of  men  to  whom  the  grant  of  ^eace  is 
possible.  "  Peace  to  him  which  is  far  off,  saith  the  Lord,"  by 
which  we  understand  those  who  have  lived  for  a  time  in  the  aliena- 
tion of  guilt  from  God.  Brethren,  we  claim  attention  to  this. 
Peace  is  not  the  exclusive  lot  of  consistent  men.  It  belongs  under 
the  Gospel  to  guilty  men.  It  has  been  said  in  language  some- 
what daring  that  it  is  almost  worth  while  to  have  sinned  in  order 
to  taste  the  deep  luxury  of  penitence.  Rightly  taken,  those  are 
not  rash  words.  They  are  not  more  than  Christ  has  sanctioned 
by  His  own  declaration,  "There  is  more  joy  among  the  angels  of 
heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth  than  over  ninety  and  nine 
just  persons  which  need  no  repentance."  It  almost  seems  as  if 
the  joy  of  returning  to  God  had  in  it  something  more  rich,  more 
ecstatic  while  it  lasts,  than  the  peace  which  belongs  to  consistent 
obedience.  It  is  just  that  feast  of  the  fatted  calf,  with  the  robe 
and  the  ring  and  the  dancing,  which  disconcerted  the  elder  son 
in  the  treatment  of  his  brother.  .  .  .  Men  who  have  sinned  much. 


The  Peace  of  God,  229 

is  it  not  so  ?  Is  there  not  sucli  a  thing  as  loving  much,  because 
much  has  been  forgiven  ?  Is  there  not  in  God's  strange  dispensa- 
tions a  kind  of  balance  of  blessedness  which  almost  seems  to  make 
up  to  a  guilty  penitent  for  the  wretchedness  that  is  gone  by  ?  And, 
after  all,  for  most  of  us,  this  is  the  only  Gospel.  One  here  and 
there  in  this  congregation  there  may  be  who  has  lived  near  to 
God  from  childhood ;  but  if  there  is  only  peace  for  him,  we  have 
no  Gospel  for  the  mass.  We,  the  majority — we,  brethren,  God 
knows,  we  have  lived  far  enough  from  God  at  some  period  or 
other  of  our  lives.  Things  that  will  not  bear  speaking  of — things 
that  it  is  well  not  to  think  about — belong  to  the  history  of  our 
past  lives.  .  .  .  Shall  we  be  told  there  is  peace  for  innocence? — 
peace  for  those  who  have  received  the  Spirit  and  not  grieved  His 
intimations  ?  Ah,  my  Christian  brethren,  that  is  not  the  Gospel 
for  us ;  we  want  a  Gospel  for  the  guilty.  "  Peace  for  him  that  is 
near,"  that  we  can  understand ;  but  the  words  at  which  our  hearts 
exult  are  these:  "  Peace  to  him  that  is  far  off."  Man's  noble  atti- 
tude is  that  of  consistent  holiness  from  the  moment  that  he  turns 
to  God ;  and  most  of  us  have  forfeited  that.  Man's  noblest  atti- 
tude is  earnest  penitence,  and  that  is  opened  to  us  still ;  and  with 
it  there  is  opened  "  peace." 

It  is  a  mercy  that  the  Scripture  record  of  human  life  is  painted 
to  us  in  such  dark  colors  as  it  is.  It  has  been  the  infidel's  sneer 
that  the  Bible  saints  are  men  whom  even  a  novelist  would  scorn 
to  take  for  his  heroes.  It  is  a  small  and  pitiful  sneer.  The  Bible 
saints  were  not  the  heroes  of  romance,  for  then  they  might  have 
been  painted  spotless.  They  were  the  men  of  real  life,  and  the 
details  of  that  life  sometimes  guilty  enough.  But,  then,  life  was 
an  earnest  thing  with  them.  It  was  transgression,  if  you  will ; 
but  then  it  was  sore,  buffeting  struggle  after  that — much  toiling 
and  wandering  in  sharp  suffering,  that  none  knew  but  God :  it 
was  the  penitence  of  men  bent  manfully  on  turning  back  to  God. 
And  so  they  fought  their  way  back  till  they  struggled  out  of  the 
thick  darkness  into  the  clear  light  of  day  and  peace.  Let  us  lay 
this  to  heart.  It  is  not  the  having  been  "far  off"  that  makes 
peace  impossible.  It  is  not  sin — no,  not  the  darkest — that  shuts 
out  from  restoration :  "  Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God."  It  is  languid  indecision,  desperate  sullenncss,  anything 
which  keeps  a  man  away  from  Christ,  that  prevents  peace ;  but  in 
all  this  world  there  is  nothing  else. 


230  TJie  Peace  of  God. 

3.  The  last  step  in  a  Christian's  progress  towards  peace  is  the 
attainment  of  a  spirit  of  active  obedience.  Tliere  is  a  mistake 
that  men  make  respecting  religious  unhappiness.  They  think 
that  it  arises  only  from  the  fear  of  punishment.  And  they  sup- 
pose that  if  you  could  but  convince  a  man  of  his  personal  safety 
before  God,  if  he  could  but  know  that  his  salvation  was  secure, 
straightway  all  religious  uneasiness  would  be  calmed  ;  and  so  men 
sit  down  to  look  into  themselves  as  if  the  one  great  question  they 
had  to  answer  were  this,  "  Am  I  saved  or  not  T  But  it  is  not  so. 
It  is  not  the  dread  of  hell  that  makes  men  miserable.  That  is 
only  a  part  of  human  restlessness.  There  is  an  eternal  law  that 
man  cannot  be  happy  except  in  keeping  God's  commandments. 
Make  a  man  sure  of  heaven,  and  leave  him  with  a  soul  not  re- 
duced to  harmony,  not  humble,  not  pure,  not  obedient,  he  is  a 
wretch  still.  There  is  a  corroding,  maddening  sensation  which 
comes  from  the  feeling  of  uselessness;  there  is  something  that 
almost  amounts  to  torture  in  the  start  with  which  we  sometimes 
awake  to  the  conviction  that  life  is  gliding  away  and  nothing 
.done;  there  is  an  uneasy,  gnawing  self-reproach  that  comes  from 
duties  left  unfulfilled.  What  is  misery  ?  It  is  the  boundless  law 
of  duty  written  on  the  heart,  and  the  accumulated  self-reproach 
of  not  obeying  it.  Do  we  want  the  picture  of  a  restless  heart? 
Infinite  duty,  infinite  transgression,  infinite  woe — that  is  the  rest- 
lessness of  man. 

And  now  let  us  ask  what  is  the  remedy  provided  by  God  to 
heal  this  restlessness?  God's  remedy,  brethren,  is  to  write  His 
law  by  the  spirit  upon  the  heart,  so  that  we  love  Christ,  and  then 
we  love  what  Christ  commands.  It  has  been  well  remarked,  it  is 
not  said  that  after  keeping  God's  commandments,  but  in  keeping 
them,  there  is  great  reward.  God  has  linked  these  two  things 
together,  and  no  man  can  separate  them — obedience  and  peace. 
And  it  seems  to  be  for  this  reason  that  when  the  early  years  of 
life  have  been  spent  in  those  professions  which  demand  implicit 
obedience,  the  religion  of  riper  years  so  often  puts  on  a  character 
of  peculiar  brightness.  The  religious  soldier  and  the  religious 
sailor  are  generally  happy  Christians  for  this  reason,  it  may  be, 
among  others,  that  they  have  transferred  to  God's  service  the 
habit  of  unquestioning,  prompt,  ready  obedience  which  was 
taught  them  in  their  professions.  For  them  there  is  no  speculat- 
ing about  diflticulties ;   there  is  none  of  that  discursing  into  the 


The  Peace  of  God.  23 1 

whole  world  of  motives  wliicli  so  often,  in  men  trained  to  think 
rather  than  to  act,  disconcerts  and  saddens  the  whole  life.  Theirs 
is  a  life  of  action,  and  what  is  peace  but  this :  "  If  a  man  love  me, 
he  will  keep  my  commandments,"  and  "  I  will  manifest  myself  to 
him  ?" 

But  let  us  place  this  in  the  form  of  direction.  Does  a  man 
want  faith?  Let  him  not  excruciate  his  mind  by  questionings 
about  his  own  salvation,  whether  he  is  to  be  saved  or  not.  lie 
may  ask  that  question  till  he  is  on  the  verge  of  insanity,  and  get 
no  answer  after  all.  There  are  two  things  that  a  man  has  to  look 
at  in  this  world — one  is,  God  seen  through  the  cross  of  Christ : 
there  is  no  mistake  what  God  means  by  that ;  He  means  that  lie 
is  reconciled.  The  other  is  the  duty  that  lies  immediately  before 
him  ;  let  him  bend  himself  anxiously  and  earnestly  to  that.  But 
as  he  values  peace,  let  him  not  look  at  self.  It  is  not  well  to 
be  too  anxious  about  the  certainty  of  pardon.  Pardon  would 
not  make  you  happy.  God's  law  written  on  the  heart  makes 
you  happy.  There  is  no  argument  in  all  the  world  by  which 
doubts  can  be  made  to  pass  away  except  this — action.  There 
is  no  hope  of  rest  for  an  infinite  soul  except  in  this — earnest  obe- 
dience. 

When  a  man  has  attained  these  three  things,  a  spirit  of  humil- 
ity to  accept  the  righteousness  of  Christ  instead  of  his  own,  and 
a  spirit  of  faith  to  trust  in  God's  reconciliation,  and  a  spirit  of 
activity  to  do  the  will  of  God,  there  has  been  fulfilled  the  promise 
prophesied  to  him  that  is  far  off  and  to  him  that  is  near. 

11.  We  pass  on  now  to  the  reasons  which  exclude  the  guilty 
heart  from  the  possibility  of  peace.  There  are  two  reasons  as- 
signed in  these  verses :  one  is  because  of  the  heart's  own  inward 
restlessness,  and  the  other  is  because  of  the  power  of  memory  to 
visit  transgression  with  remorse.  The  first  reason  is  given  in 
these  w^ords,  "  Like  the  troubled  sea,  the  wicked  cannot  rest;"  this 
is  the  heart's  own  inward  restlessness.  The  second  is,  "  Like  the 
troubled  sea,  there  is  that  within  them  which  casts  up  mire  and 
dirt;"  this  is  the  heart's  power  of  bringing  up  again  what  has 
been  sunk. 

1.  And  now  with  respect  to  the  first  of  these,  the  soul's  own 
natural  restlessness,  "  They  cannot  rest." 

This  impossibility  of  rest  arises  partly  from  the  soul's  own  mnj- 


232  The  Peace  of  God. 

esty.  God  made  the  spirit  of  man  like  the  ocean  in  its  vastness. 
Ten  miles  deep  the  Atlantic  depths  go  down  where  human  plum- 
met never  sounded,  and  the  billows  that  roll  their  wild  tumult 
above  liave  ten  miles  of  water  beneath  to  heave  them  up.  A 
pond  may  be  without  a  ripple ;  as  to  the  troubled  sea,  just  be- 
cause it  is  vast,  it  cannot  rest.  And  so  is  it  with  the  soul  of  man. 
It  is  its  own  magnificence  that  makes  it  intensely  miserable. 
Take  the  meanest  and  the  -weakest  in  this  congregation,  and  in 
that  frame  that  we  gaze  on,  it  may  be  with  contempt,  there  is  a 
spirit  which  has  a  capacity  in  it  for  heaven  and  for  hell.  Rest ! 
Brethren,  shall  we  talk  of  a  thing  like  that  resting  ?  Why,  man's 
soul  rocks  and  billows  itself  with  an  eternity  beneath  it.  It  is 
that  which  makes  human  suffering  a  thing  of  grandeur,  because 
every  pang  that  contracts  a  human  brow,  and  every  quiver  that 
distorts  a  pale  lip,  are  only  indications  of  what  may  merge  into 
the  unresting  doom  of  infinite  wail.  When  God  put  man  in  pos- 
session of  a  self,  and  made  that  self  immortal,  he  only  made  him 
master  of  a  tremendous  heritage  of  woe. 

Partly,  again,  this  impossibility  of  rest  comes  from  the  soul's 
power  of  being  acted  upon  by  heavenly  influences  and  by  earthly 
ones  together.  The  sea  rests  not  because  of  the  attraction  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  which  keep  it  in  an  endless  ebb  and  flow — drawn 
towards  the  earth  and  drawn  towards  the  sky  alternately,  and 
obeying  neither  impulse  solely,  it  cannot  rest.  Know  we  nothing 
of  this  in  our  own  bosoms?  There  is  a  tide  of  feeling  which  ebbs 
alternately  to  heaven  and  earth.  "  The  flesh  lusteth  against  the 
spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh."  "We  are  conscious,  surely, 
of  high  instincts  that  tell  of  God ;  conscious,  besides,  of  grovelling 
propensities  that  drag  us  down  to  earth — low  wants  and  lofty 
longings.  So  long  as  these  hold  man's  soul  alternately,  is  rest 
possible  ?  Nay,  brethren,  one  force  must  overcome  the  other  be- 
fore that  can  be.  The  love  of  God  must  master  the  world's  at- 
traction, or  if  not,  then  the  soul  is  "  like  the  troubled  sea  when  it 
cannot  rest." 

Partly,  once  more,  the  impossibility  of  rest  arises  from  outward 
circumstances.  There  are  winds  that  sweep  along  the  ocean's  sur- 
face and  fret  it  into  agitation.  A  small  gust  raises  a  single  wave 
on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  before  that  wave  has  passed  over 
a  thousand  miles,  it  has  become  a  swell  which  may  swamp  a  navy. 
Something:  like  this  man  has  to  make  him  restless.     Besides  his 


The  Peace  of  God.  233 

own  inborn  passions,  there  are  circumstances  from  without  in  this 
world  to  fret  and  agitate  and  discompose  his  spirit — small  trials 
of  temper  that  make  up  much  of  the  weariness  of  life  ;  reverses 
of  fortune ;  all  that  men  call  annoyances  and  sorrows.  And  then 
we  lay  the  blame  on  these  and  ask,  "  How  could  the  man  have 
been  otherwise  than  as  he  is?  He  is  disappointed,  miserable; 
well,  but  the  circumstances  of  his  earlier  years,  faulty  education, 
others'  neglect,  made  him  so."  Ah,  my  brethren,  the  man  who 
has  not  peace  in  himself  cannot  get  peace  from  circumstances. 
Place  him  where  you  will,  he  carries  an  unquiet  heart  along  with 
him.  Can  you  keep  the  ocean  from  the  wind  ?  Can  you  bid  the 
gust  and  the  hurricane  be  still,  and  not  play  their  wild  game  over 
the  face  of  the  waters  ?  Can  you  save  man  from  circumstances  ? 
Nay.  We  are  here  to  control  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are 
placed,  and  transmute  them,  and  get  good  and  spirituality  out  of 
them.  It  certainly  may  be  true  that  a  man  is  made  restless  and 
miserable  by  circumstances.  It  certainly  may  be  that  the  ocean 
is  ploughed  into  billows  by  the  tempest  blasts,  but  all  that  they 
did  was  to  lash  the  ocean  and  show  that  it  was  yielding  water  and 
not  firm  rock.  All  that  circumstances  have  done  when  they  make 
a  man  restless  is  just  this,  to  show  that  he  is  not  incorporated  with 
the  Rock  of  Ages. 

2.  The  second  reason  assigned  for  the  exclusion  of  the  guilty 
soul  from  the  possibility  of  peace  is  the  power  of  memory  to  re- 
call the  past  with  remorseful  associations ;  and  this  seems  con- 
veyed in  these  words,  "  Its  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt."  It  is 
the  bringing  to  light  again  what  has  once  been  buried.  For  it  is 
one  result  of  ocean's  restlessness  that  the  ravages  which  it  makes 
are  not  ingulfed  in  its  depths  forever.  You  may  see  the  surges 
wear  and  fret  away  the  basement  of  the  cliff  against  which  they 
dash  themselves,  and  the  mass  of  broken  rock  falls  into  the  depth 
and  disappears,  and  then  it  is  carried  away  by  the  tide  as  it  re- 
tires. But  a  thousand  miles  off  there  will  be  shingle  and  mud  to 
fringe  the  sea-foam.  The  fragments  may  have  rolled  for  many  a 
long  month  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  ingulfed,  unseen,  but  they 
are  still  there,  ready  to  appear  at  the  appointed  moment.  Navies 
may  sink,  and  the  waters  roll  above  them  as  if  they  were  to  ap- 
pear no  more ;  but  the  wanderer  on  some  distant  beach  is  startled 
in  his  ramble  to  read  the  dismal  tale  of  shipwreck  in  the  planks 
that  are  stranded  on  the  shore. 


234  ^/^^  Peace  of  God. 

Now,  there  is  sometliing  fearfully  like  this  in  the  constitution 
of  our  souls.  Deeds  that  we  have  done  and  thoughts  that  we 
have  dwelt  upon  sink  like  stones  into  the  ocean,  and  we  expect 
that  they  will  appear  no  more.  But,  my  brethren,  it  would  seem 
that  a  thing  once  lodged  in  the  memory  never  can  be  lost.  'It 
may  sink  for  a  time — long  years— as  in  the  ocean  depths,  but 
there  are  tempests  which  may  bring  it  up  again  some  day.  Have 
we  never  known  those  moments  of  existence  when  we  seemed  en- 
dued with  an  unusual,  startling  power  to  recall  a  long  train  of 
past  occurrences,  when  the  mind  seemed  almost  supernaturally  ac- 
tive, not  at  the  bidding  of  our  will  ?  By  night,  alone,  when  music 
had  touched  the  string  of  long-forgotten  associations,  when  con- 
versation had  left  a  strange  excitement  in  the  spirit,  have  we  never 
known  what  it  is  to  find  a  marvellous  rapidity  in  the  power  of 
thought,  and  all  the  past  come  as  freshly  before  us  as  if  it  were 
yesterday  ?  Brethren,  with  a  mind  like  that,  man  is  not  one  mo- 
ment secure  of  rest;  he  is  doomed  to  recollect.  A  dull  and 
heavy  body  blinds  his  senses,  and  so  buries  his  misery  for  a  time ; 
but  it  is  there,  and  God  can  cast  it  up  at  any  moment  in  the  shape 
of  mire  and  dirt.  This  is  the  misery  of  remorse — the  worst  tor- 
ment of  man's  stormy  mind.  It  only  needs  that  the  body  which 
buries  recollection  for  a  time  shall  be  dissolved,  and  then  there 
begins  the  eternity  of  a  hell  of  recollections — when  every  act  of 
bygone  guilt  which  has  not  been  sunk  in  the  blood  of  Christ  shall 
be  as  fresh  and  vivid  before  a  sinner's  eyes  as  it  was  at  the  mo- 
ment when  it  was  committed. 

In  conclusion,  the  first  thing,  brethren,  that  has  to  be  urged 
upon  us  from  this  subject  is  the  connection  which  subsists  be- 
tween peace  and  cure :  "  Peace,  peace,  and  I  will  heal  him." 
Peace  and  cure  must  go  together.  No  peace  for  the  soul  where 
there  is  no  cure.  And  now  the  question  is  this.  If  you  have 
peace,  what  is  your  peace  worth?  And  the  answer  to  that  de- 
pends upon  the  answer  to  another  question :  Is  the  spirit  healed 
of  all  its  malady  ?  There  is  an  absence  of  apprehension,  and  there 
is  a  freedom  from  self-reproach,  which  are  not  Christ's  peace,  but 
only  the  calm  of  forgetfulness.  There  was  a  time  when  Herod's 
spirit  was  at  rest.  A  single  guilty  inclination,  a  single  unmanly^ 
unhallowed  tenderness  stood  between  his  soul  and  its  perfect  cure. 
One  man  prevented  his  enjoying  that  tenderness  in  peace.  Herod 
removed  that  man  from  his  way,  and  then  came  a  calm.     What 


TJie  Peace  of  God.  235 

was  the  value  of  that  peace?  Brethren,  only  this,  that  the  Sav- 
iour's preaching,  or  rather  a  mere  rumor  of  it,  brought  back  the 
apparition  of  John  the  Baptist  to  his  remembrance,  and  with  it 
all  the  unquiet  consciousness  of  guilt.  A  little  silence,  a  sum- 
mer's-day  calm,  and  then  the  ocean  cast  up  again  its  mire  and 
dirt. 

There  is  a  law  in  this  world  that  sin  and  sorrow  shall  be  joined 
together.  It  may  be  a  long  time  first,  for  God  Las  an  eternity 
before  Him  to  strike  in,  and  He  can  ivait.  There  is  another  law 
in  this  world,  "  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked." 
And  there  is  only  one  thing  in  all  the  universe  that  interferes  with 
the  stringency  of  these  laws.  That  one  thing  is  the  blood  of 
Christ,  so  applied  to  the  character  and  so  sunk  into  the  affections 
that  the  guilty  can  go  free  and  the  sinner  be  at  peace.  Brethren, 
each  of  us  knows  what  his  own  past  has  been.  I  ask  you,  wdll  it 
bear  to  come  up  again?  Or  do  your  hearts  tell  you  there  is 
meaning  of  terrible  emphasis  in  these  words  "mire  and  dirt?" 
If  so,  there  is  but  one  way  to  keep  it  all  hidden  in  the  heart's 
deptlis.  It  is  to  have  it  buried  there  by  the  transforming,  purify- 
ing, calming  power  of  Christ.  Be  healed,  and  you  may  be  at 
peace ;  but  if  the  heart  is  not  cured  of  its  evil,  your  peace  is  worth 
nothing. 

AVe  also  press  this  truth — there  is  no  amount  of  sin  that  bars 
from  the  attainment  of  saintliness.  There  is  a  peace  which 
"  passeth  all  understanding  "  for  those  who  have  kept  their  gar- 
ments undefiled ;  but  be  this  remembered  too,  God  speaks  peace 
— ay,  rapture — to  those  who,  having  soiled  their  garments,  liave 
made  them  "  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  The  truth  is,  that 
when  the  heart  is  entranced  with  unexpected  love,  and  yet  the 
man's  head  hangs  down  with  more  than  ordinary  shame,  he  some- 
times outstrips  in  holiness  those  who  have  advanced  more  leisure- 
ly. It  is  the  "  eleventh  hour  "  with  him ;  and  if  others  may  walk, 
he  must  run,  and  so  sometimes  he  more  than  makes  up  lost 
ground.  It  is  the  evening  of  his  day ;  his  night  is  closing  in,  and 
there  is  not  a  moment  to  be  lost.  Brethren,  sinful  and  beloved ! 
if  I  speak  to  those  whose  early  years  were  those  of  immorality,  be 
this  your  consolation — it  is  well  to  trust  in  the  cross  of  Christ  for 
pardon  ;  but  there  is  a  rarer  faith,  a  faith  little  exercised,  to  trust 
in  Christ  for  strengthening.  Expect  much,  and  you  will  win 
much.    Where  sin  hath  abounded,  there  often  "grace  much  more 


236  TJie  Peace  of  God. 

abounds."  It  is  your  peculiar  prerogative,  my  erring  brethren,  to 
love  much,  to  feel  much,  to  do  much.  Only  remember  this,  that 
there  is  no  step  of  saintliest  excellence,  and  there  is  no  thrill  of 
purest  peace,  that  is  impossible  to  you,  if  only  you  have  placed 
yourselves  in  earnest  under  the  discipline  of  Christ. 


THE    END. 


ROBEPiTSO^'S  SERMONS. 

SERMONS  PREACHED  AT  BRIGHTON  by  the  late  Rev.  Frederick 
W.  Robertson,  the  Incumbent  of  Trinity  Chapel.  With  Portrait  on 
Steel.     Large  12rao,  838  pages,  Cloth,  $2  00  ;  Half  Calf,  $3  75. 

While  hapless  Englishmen  complain  in  the  papers,  and  in  private,  in  many  a  va- 
ried wail,  over  the  sermons  they  have  to  listen  to,  it  is  very  apparent  that  the  work 
of  the  preacher  has  not  fallen  in  any  respect  out  of  estimation.  Here  is  a  book  which 
has  gone  through  as  great  a  number  of  editions  as  the  most  popular  novel.  It  bears 
Mudie's  stamp  upon  its  dingy  boards,  and  has  all  those  marks  of  arduous  service 
which  are  only  to  be  seen  in  books  which  belong  to  great  public  libraries.  It  la 
thumbed,  dog's-eared,  pencil-marked,  worn  by  much  perusal.  Is  it  then  a  novel? 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  volume  of  sermons.  A  fine,  tender,  and  lofty  mind,  full  of 
thoughtfulness,  full  of  devotion,  has  herein  left  his  legacy  to  his  country.  It  is  not 
rhetoric  or  any  vulgar  excitement  of  eloquence  that  charms  so  many  readers  to  the 
book,  so  many  hearers  to  this  preacher's  feet.  It  is  not  with  the  action  of  a  Demos- 
thenes, with  outstretched  arms  and  countenance  of  flame,  that  he  presses  his  Gospel 
upon  his  audience.  On  the  contrary,  when  we  read  those  calm  and  lofty  utterances, 
this  preacher  seems  seated,  like  his  Master,  with  the  multitude  palpitating  round,  but 
no  agitation  or  passion  in  his  own  thoughtful,  contemplative  breast.  The  Sermons 
of  Robertson  have  few  of  the  exciting  qualities  of  oratory.  Save  for  the  charm  of  a 
singularly  pure  and  lucid  style,  their  almost  sole  attraction  consists  in  their  power 
of  instruction,  in  their  faculty  of  opening  up  the  mysteries  of  life  and  truth.  It  is 
pure  teaching,  so  far  as  that  ever  can  be  administered  to  a  popular  audience,  which 
is  offered  to  us  in  the«e  volumes. — Blackwood's  Magazine. 

The  reputation  of  Mr.  Robertson's  Sermons  is  now  bo  wide-spread  that  any  com- 
mendation of  ours  may  seem  superfluous.  We  will  therefore  simply  recommend  such 
of  our  readers  as  have  not  yet  made  their  acquaintance,  to  read  them  carefully  and 
thoughtfully,  and  they  will  find  in  them  more  deeply  suggestive  matter  than  in  almost 
any  book  published  in  the  present  century. — Church  of  England  Monthly  Review. 

TUey  are  Sermons  of  a  bold,  uncompromising  thinker— of  a  man  resolute  for  the 
truth  of  God,  and  determined  in  the  strength  of  God's  grace  to  make  that  truth  clear, 
to  brush  away  all  the  fine-spun  sophistries  and  half-truths  by  which  the  cunning  sins 
of  men  have  hidden  it.  *  *  *  His  analysis  is  exquisite  in  its  subtleness  and  delicacy. 
•  *  •  With  Mr.  Robertson  style  is  but  the  vehicle,  not  the  substitute  for  thought. 
Eloquence,  poetry,  scholarship,  originality — his  Sermons  show  proof  enough  of  these 
to  put  him  on  a  level  with  the  foremost  men  of  his  time.  But,  after  all,  their  charm 
lies  in  the  warm,  loving,  sympathetic  heart,  in  the  well-disciplined  mind  of  the  true 
Christian,  in  his  noble  scorn  of  all  lies,  of  all  things  mean  and  crooked,  in  his  brave 
battling  for  right,  even  when  wrong  seems  crowned  with  success,  in  his  honest  sim- 
jdicity  and  singleness  of  purpose,  in  the  high  and  holy  tone — as  if,  amid  the  discord 
of  earth,  he  heard  clear,  though  far  off,  the  perfect  harmony  of  heaven  ;  in  the  fiery 
earnestness  of  his  love  for  Christ,  the  devotion  of  his  whole  being  to  the  goodness 
and  truth  revealed  in  \\\m.— Edinburgh  Christian  Magazine. 

These  Sermons  are  full  of  thonght  and  beauty,  and  admirable  illustrations  of  the 
ease  with  which  a  gifted  and  disciplined  mind  can  make  the  obscure  transparent,  the 
difficult  plain.  There  is  not  a  sermon  that  does  not  furnish  evidence  of  originality 
without  extravagance,  of  discrimination  without  tediousness,  and  of  piety  without 
cant  or  conventionalism.— Z?>ifjs/i  Quarterly. 


Notices  of  Robertsorts  Sermons. 


When  Mr.  Robertson  died,  his  name  was  scarcely  known  beyond  the  circle  of  his 
own  private  friends,  and  of  those  among  whom  he  had  labored  in  his  calling.  Now 
every  word  he  wrote  is  eagerly  songht  for  and  afiectionately  treasured  up,  and  meets 
with  the  most  reverent  and  admiring  welcome  from  men  of  all  parties  and  all  shades 
of  opinion.  *  *  *  To  those  that  find  in  his  writings  what  they  themselves  want,  he  is  a 
teacher  quite  beyond  comparison— his  words  having  a  meaning,  his  thoughts  a  truth 
and  depth,  which  they  cannot  find  elsewhere;  and  they  never  look  to  him  in  vain. 
•  •  •  He  fixes  himself  upon  the  recollection  as  a  most  original  and  profound  thinker, 
and  as  a  man  in  whom  excellence  puts  on  a  new  form.  *  *  *  There  are  many  persons, 
and  the  number  increases  every  year,  to  whom  Robertson's  writings  are  the  most 
stable,  satisfactory,  and  exhaustless  form  of  religious  teaching  which  the  nineteenth 
century  has  given— the  most  wise,  suggestive,  and  practicAl.— Saturday  Review. 

As  an  author,  Mr.  Robertson  was,  iu  his  lifetime,  unknown  ;  for  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  or  two  addresses,  he  never  published,  having  a  singular  disinclination  to 
bring  his  thoughts  before  the  public  in  the  form  of  published  sermons.  As  a  minis- 
ter, he  was  beloved  and  esteemed  for  his  unswerving  fidelity  to  his  principles,  and 
his  fearless  propagation  of  his  religious  views.  As  a  townsman,  he  was  held  iu  the 
highest  estimation ;  his  hand  and  voice  being  ever  ready  to  do  all  in  his  power  to 
advance  the  moral  and  social  position  of  the  working-man.  It  was  not  till  after  his 
decease,  which  event  created  a  sensation  and  demonstration  such  as  Brighton  never 
before  or  since  witnessed,  that  his  works  were  subjected  to  public  criticism.  It  was 
then  found  that  iu  the  comparatively  retired  minister  of  Trinity  Chapel  there  had 
existed  a  man  possessed  of  consummate  ability  and  intellect  of  the  highest  order; 
that  the  sermons  laid  before  his  congregation  were  replete  with  the  subtleties  of  in- 
tellect, and  bore  evidence  of  the  keenest  perception  and  most  exalted  catholicity. 
His  teaching  was  of  an  extremely  liberal  character,  and  if  fair  to  assign  a  man  pos- 
sessed of  such  a  universality  of  sympathy  to  any  party,  we  should  say  that  he  be- 
longed to  what  is  denominated  the  "  Broad  Church."  We,  with  many  others,  cannot 
agree  in  the  fullest  extent  of  his  teaching,  but,  at  the  same  time,  feel  bound  to  accord 
the  tribute  due  to  his  genius.— Brighton  Gazette. 

To  our  thinking,  no  compositions  of  the  same  class,  at  least  since  the  days  of  Jer- 
emy Taylor,  can  be  compared  with  these  Sermons,  delivered  to  the  congregation  of 
Trinity  Chapel,  Brighton,  by  their  late  minister.  They  have  that  power  over  the 
mind  which  belongs  only  to  the  highest  works  of  genius;  they  stir  the  soul  to  its  in- 
most depths;  they  move  the  affections,  raise  the  imagination,  bring  out  the  higher 
and  spiritual  part  of  our  nature  by  the  continual  appeal  that  is  made  to  it,  and  tend 
to  make  us,  at  the  same  time,  humble  and  aspiring- merciful  to  others  and  doubtful 
of  ourselves. — Brighton  Herald. 

The  Sermons  are  altogether  out  of  the  common  style.  They  are  strong,  free,  and 
beautiful  utterances  of  a  gifted  and  cultivated  mind — Eclectic  Review. 

They  are  distinguished  by  masterly  exposition  of  Scriptural  truths  and  the  true 
spirit  of  Christian  charity.— ilfornm^r  Post. 

Mr.  Robertson,  of  Brighton,  is  a  name  familiar  to  most  of  us,  and  honored  by  all 
to  whom  it  is  familiar,  A  true  servant  of  Christ,  a  bold  and  heart-stirring  preacher 
of  the  Gospel,  his  teaching  was  unlike  the  teaching  of  most  clergymen,  for  it  was 
beautified  and  intensified  by  genius.  New  truth,  new  light,  streamed  from  each  well- 
worn  text  when  he  handled  it.— Globe. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

HA.UPBU  &  BuoTnERS  ivHl  .tend  the  above  work  b;/  mail,  postage  %nepaid,  to  any 
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ROBERTSON'S  LIFE  AND  LETTERS. 

LIFE,  LETTERS,  LECTURES  ON  CORINTHIANS,  AND  AD- 
DRESSES of  the  late  Frederick  W.  Robertson,  M.A.,  Incumbent 
of  Trinity  Chapel,  Brighton,  1847-1853.  With  Portrait  on  Steel. 
Large  12mo,  8-10  pages.  Cloth,  $2  00;  Half  Calf,  $3  75. 

No  book  published  since  the  "Life  of  Dr.  Arnold  "  has  produced  so  strong  an  im- 
pression on  the  moral  imagination  and  spiritual  theology  of  England  as  we  may  ex- 
pect from  these  volumes.  Even  for  those  who  knew  Mr.  Robertson  well,  and  for 
many  who  knew  him,  as  they  thought,  better  than  his  Sermons,  the  free  and  full 
discussion  of  the  highest  subjects  in  the  familiar  letters  so  admirably  selected  by  the 
Editor  of  Mr.  Robertson's  Life,  will  give  a  far  clearer  insight  into  his  remarkable 
character,  and  inspire  a  deeper  respect  for  his  clear  and  manly  intellect.  Mr.  Brooke 
has  done  his  work  as  Dr.  Stanley  did  his  in  writing  the  "Life  of  Arnold,"  and  it  ia 
not  possible  to  give  higher  praise.  *  *  *  Every  one  will  talk  of  Mr.  Robertson,  and  no 
one  of  Mr.  Brooke,  because  Mr.  Brooke  has  thought  much  of  his  subject,  nothing  of 
himself,  and  hence  the  figure  which  he  wished  to  present  comes  out  quite  clear  and 
keen,  without  any  interposing  haze  of  literary  wdpoi:— Spectator,  London. 

The  Life  of  Robertson  of  Brighton  supplies  a  very  unique  illustration  of  the  way 
in  which  a  man  may  attain  his  highest  fame  after  he  has  passed  away  from  earth. 
There  are  few  who  make  any  pretension  to  an  acquaintance  with  modern  literature 
who  do  not  know  something  of  Mr.  Robertson's  works.  His  sermons  are  indisputa- 
bly ranked  with  the  highest  sacred  classics.  *  *  *  The  publication  of  his  "Life  and 
Letters"  helps  us  to  some  information  which  is  very  precious,  and  explains  much 
mystery  that  hangs  around  the  name  of  the  great  Brighton  preacher.  It  will  be  gen- 
erally admitted  that  these  two  volumes  will  furnish  means  for  estimating  the  charac- 
ter of  Mr.  Robertson  which  are  not  supplied  in  any  or  all  of  his  published  works.  *  *  ' 
There  was  no  artificiality  or  show  about  the  pulpit  production,  no  half-utterances  or 
whispers  of  solemn  belief;  but  there  was  the  natural  restraint  which  would  be  im- 
posed by  a  true  gentleman  upon  his  words  when  speaking  to  mixed  congregations. 
Many  of  us  wanted  to  know  how  he  talked  and  wrote  when  the  restraint  was  re- 
moved. This  privilege  is  granted  to  us  in  these  volumes.  •  *  *  There  was  no  ro- 
mance of  scene  and  circumstance  in  the  life  of  Frederick  Robertson  ;  but  there  was 
more  than  romance  about  the  real  life  of  the  man.  In  some  respects  it  was  like  the 
life  of  a  new  Elijah.  *  *  *  A  more  thoughtful,  suggestive,  and  beautiful  preacher  never 
entered  a  pulpit;  a  simpler  and  braver  man  never  lived;  a  truer  Christian  never 
adorned  any  religious  community.  His  life  and  death  were  vicariotis,  as  he  himself 
might  have  put  it.  He  lived  and  died  for  others— for  us  all.  The  sorrows  and  ago- 
nies of  his  heart  pressed  rare  music  out  of  it,  and  the  experience  of  a  terribly  bitter 
life  leaves  a  wealth  of  thought  and  reflection  never  more  than  equalled  in  the  history 
of  men."— ChrUtian  World,  London. 

Mr.  Brooke  has  done  his  own  work  as  a  biographer  with  good  sense,  feeling,  and 
taste.  *  •  *  These  volumes  are  of  real  value  to  all  thoughtful  readers.  For  many  a 
year  we  have  had  no  such  picture  of  a  pure  and  noble  and  well-spent  \iie.—Moniinj 
Herald,  London. 

There  is  something  here  for  all  kinds  of  readers,  but  the  higher  a  man's  mind  and 
the  more  general  his  sympathies,  the  keener  will  be  his  interest  in  the  "Life  of  Rob- 
ertson."— Atheiueum,  London. 


Notices  of  Robertson  s  Life  and  Letters. 


With  all  drawbacks  of  what  seem  to  ns  imperfect  taste,  an  imperfect  standard  of 
character,  and  an  imperfect  appreciation  of  what  there  is  in  the  world  beyond  a  given 
circle  of  interest,  the  book  does  what  a  biography  ought  to  do— it  shows  us  a  re- 
markable man,  and  it  gives  us  the  means  of  forming  our  own  judgment  about  him. 
It  is  not  a  tame  panegyric  or  a  fancy  picture.  The  main  portion  of  the  book  consists 
of  Mr.  Robertson's  own  letters,  and  his  own  account  of  himself,  and  we  are  allowed 
to  see  him,  in  a  great  degree  at  least,  as  he  really  was.  *  *  *  It  is  the  record  of  a  genu- 
ine spontaneous  character,  seeking  its  way,  its  duty,  its  perfection,  with  much  sincer- 
ity and  elevation  of  purpose,  many  anxieties  and  sorrows,  and  not,  we  doubt  not, 
without  much  of  the  fruits  that  come  with  real  self-devotion ;  a  record  disclosing  a 
man  with  great  faults  and  conspicuous  blanks  in  his  nature.— GwardiVm,  Loudon, 

Mr.  Brooke  has  done  good  service  in  giving  to  the  world  so  faithful  a  sketch  of  so 
worthy  a  man.  It  would  have  been  a  reproach  to  the  Church  if  this  enduring  and 
appropriate  memorial  had  not  been  erected  to  one  who  was  so  entirely  devoted  to 
its  service  ;  and  the  labor  of  love,  for  such  it  evidently  was,  was  committed  to  no  un- 
skilful hands.  *  *  *  Mr.  Robertson's  epistolary  writings  — gathered  iu  these  valua- 
ble volumes— often  unstudied,  always  necessarily  from  their  nature  free  and  unre- 
strained, but  evidencing  depth  and  vigor  of  thought,  clear  perception,  varied  Icnowl- 
edge,  sound  judgment,  earnest  piety,  are  doubtless  destined  to  become  as  widely 
known  and  as  largely  beneficial  as  his  published  Sermons.  It  is  impossible  to  pe- 
ruse them  without  receiving  impressions  for  good,  and  being  persuaded  that  they 
are  the  offspring  of  no  ordinary  mind.— J/orm/if/  Post,  London. 

As  no  English  sermons  of  the  century  have  been  so  widely  read,  and  as  few  lead- 
ers of  religious  thought  have  exerted  (especially  by  works  iu  so  much  of  an  unper- 
fected  and  fragmentary  character)  so  penetrating  and  powerful  an  influence  on  the 
spiritual  tendencies  of  the  times,  we  can  well  believe  that  no  biography  since  Ar- 
nold's will  presently  be  possible  to  be  compared  with  this,  for  the  interest  excited  by 
it  in  the  minds  of  readers  who  consciously  live  in  the  presence  of  the  invisible  and 
eternal,  who  feci  the  pressure  of  difficult  questions  and  painful  experiences,  and  who 
seek  reality  and  depth,  and  freedom  in  the  life  and  activity  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 
*  *  *  Mr.  Brooke  has  produced  a  "  Life  of  Robertson  "  which  will  not  unworthily  com- 
pare with  Dein  Stanley's  "Life  of  Arnold,"  and  which,  with  that,  and  Ryland's 
•'Life  of  Foster,"  and  the  "Life  of  Channing,"  is  likely  to  be  prized  as  one  of  the 
most  precious  records  of  genuine  manly  and  godly  excellence.— jyoncojj/ormtsf, 
London. 

The  beautiful  work  which  Mr.  Brooke  has  written  contains  few,  if  any,  romantic 
episodes.  It  is  the  life  of  a  man  who  worked  hard  and  died  early.  *  *  *  Mr.  Brooke 
has  acted  wisely  in  allowing  Mr.  Robertson  to  spenk  so  fully  for  himself,  and  iu 
blending  his  letters  with  his  narrative,  and  arranging  them  iu  chronological  order. 
These  letters  are  iu  themselves  a  mine  of  intellectual  wealth.  They  contain  little  of 
taW3-talk  or  parlor  gossip  ;  but  they  abound  with  many  of  his  best  and  most  ripen- 
ed thoughts  on  multitudes  of  subjects,  political,  literary,  and  scientific,  as  well  as  the- 
ological. We  wish  we  could  present  our  readers  with  extracts  from  them ;  but  even 
if  we  had  space,  it  would  be  unfair  to  the  writer  to  quote  disjointed  fragments  from  a 
correspondence  which  now  belongs  to  the  literature  of  the  country.  *  •  *  Mr.  Brooke 
has  performed  his  responsible  task  as  a  biographer  and  an  editor  in  a  spirit  of  just 
and  discriminating  appreciation,  and  with  admirable  ability.— i»/«rnzHflr.Stor,  London. 


Published  by  IIARrER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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Date  Due 


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ROBERTSON 
Human  race. 


